Diplomatic sources said the ministers were to mention Israel only briefly but their statement at a meeting in Brussels was intended to show the EU’s disapproval of last month’s assassination of the Hamas commander. Dubai authorities say the assassins traveled on forged British, Irish, French and German passports and were sent by Israel’s spy agency Mossad.Israel has declined to confirm or deny any role in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, whom the Islamic militant group has said was involved in smuggling weapons into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. “It will be quite a strong statement ... It will make reference to ‘extra-judicial killing’ and the fact that these passports were used,” one of the sources said.
“It doesn’t matter if [the statement] doesn’t mention Israel, the message will be clear. How many countries can it be referring to?” France, Germany, Ireland and Britain have helped to draft the statement and it will be put to the rest of the EU foreign ministers for approval, the sources said.
The statement will increase diplomatic pressure on Israel but is unlikely to have any long-term repercussions for EU-Israeli ties, diplomats say. Israeli officials have also played down the possibility of a full-blown crisis in relations. “It is more of a caution, and of course we would at the same time like to emphasize the integrity and security of European passports,” a European diplomat said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was due to meet a number of EU foreign ministers on the sidelines of the meeting. Officials said Iran’s nuclear program was the main item on his agenda. But he was expected to face questions on the passport issue, particularly from British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin.
