Israel was not alone in wanting to ‘detonate’ the Hamas missile man

[oberliner]

Excerpt:

Much of the Irish media, without much in the way of evidence, has jumped to the unreserved conclusion that his assassination was a Mossad operation.

Certainly, RTÉ’s Primetime last Thursday behaved as though it were an open and shut case. Maybe it was: the Israelis, as usual, are not commenting one way or the other. They are just glad he’s gone.

That’s hardly surprising. Mabhouh’s crimes date back at least as far as 1989 when he masterminded the kidnapping and murder of two young Israelis.

In more recent years, he played a key role coordinating the smuggling of missiles and other weapons from Iran to Gaza. These have been used to kill and maim dozens of civilians.

But looked at from the perspective of the Middle East, rather than Donnybrook, it seems a whole lot of people – not just the Israelis – wanted Mabhouh out of the way.

Hamas themselves don’t seem sure who killed Mabhouh. Some of their officials are pointing the finger at one or other of the Arab governments. He was wanted by the authorities in Jordan and Egypt, for instance.

Some Arab media have reported that the operation against Mabhouh may have been carried out by a rival Palestinian group; others that Dubai’s intelligence services tipped off the Jordanians. There has also been speculation that (Sunni) Saudi Arabia has an interest in limiting the regional power of (Shia) Iran and its proxies.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/stephen-king/israel-was-not-alone-in-wanting-to-detonate-the-hamas-missile-man-113515.html

[Esra Star]

1. Everybody's first thought was Mossad.

We are all waiting to see the evidence that it wasn't.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. Actually we are all waiting to see evidence proving much of anything

The Dubai bubbas are being very parsimonious with the evidence and its provenance and yet very conclusive in the media. Kind of makes you wonder

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[shira]

4. Actually it's okay to accuse Israel of anything and then demand Israel to disprove a negative

I like how 2 of the Palestinian suspects fled to Iran but somehow this has Mossad written all over it.

And then there's this from just the other day...

Hamas: Jordan or Egypt likely behind Dubai hit
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1153316.html

It just has to be Israel. :)

[proteus_lives]

5. This is DU. It does have to be Israel for a lot of people.

They hate anything that disputes the black and white thinking.

[Violet_Crumble]

7. No, it's that you and others can't even consider that it may be Mossad...

And that's some really outright black and white thinking there...

[proteus_lives]

8. It might be the Mossad.

But I haven't seen any outright proof that it was.

This Hamas honcho had many enemies. Hell, Hamas itself considers other Arab governments suspects.

I'm simply not ready to convict without all the evidence. You?

[Violet_Crumble]

9. I'd say it's a pretty safe bet it was Mossad...

They've done that sort of thing before and the whole passport thing is something they've definately done before now...

Neither you or I get to convict anyone coz we're not in court. Nor are we going to be privy to all the evidence, especially when it comes to the passports. Me, I'm following with interest the attempts by the Australian govt to get Israel to assist in its investigation into the three forged passports. So far the govt has said that Israel's response has been unsatisfactory, and for the govt to say that, things aren't looking very good.

[proteus_lives]

10. "They've done this sort of thing before."

Ok, that's why you believe they did it.

Now, where's your evidence?

[Violet_Crumble]

11. No, I said I think it's a pretty safe bet they did it...

..based on what they've done in the past. What am I supposed to show you and why? I'm a bit confused here...

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. If there is something behind the press releases, looking at Mossad is quite reasonable

Its that nothing is being shown with no provenance...

[Violet_Crumble]

12. The Israeli bubbas aren't being very helpful at all with the passport investigation...

Kind of makes you wonder.

Also, I'm wondering why some of those who are demanding all this evidence don't have the same stringent standards when it comes to other things.

[eyl]

13. Depends what kind of assistance

the Australian investigation wanted.

I can easily see a lot of the information they might want being stuff that Israel wouldn't want to reveal even if it wasn't Mossad behind the assassination. In addition (again, assuming the culprits weren't Israeli) I could see a rationale the government might embrace to keep Israel's involvement ambigous for purposes of deterence and such (not saying I'd agree with that rationale, but I can see it being adopted).

[Violet_Crumble]

14. They're not making specifics public...

But the govt wasn't happy at all with Israel's response. One media outlet here was trying to make out that a couple of AFP officers (you may have heard of their close encounter with a bike rider) were 'allowed' into Israel, as though it'd be entirely reasonable for Israel not to allow them into the country. I suspect that apart from the annoyance already expressed here, we're not going to know what Israel actually has said and what they've been asked...

One thing I'm pretty sure is that the day of cloak and dagger operations like that one in Dubai are going the way of the dinosaur and I doubt there'll be any more of them...

[eyl]

16. I don't know about that

Scour some sci-fi (e.g. the milder forms of cyberpunk) and you can find all sorts of ideas to get around the limitations today's technology places on these ops; though doubtlessly, they won't be done the same as today.

[Lithos]

15. Anyone else have thoughts along the lines of the Murder on the Orient Express?

12 different cuts from 12 different murderers?

I suspect that while the various governments all have very clear public faces, the dark and pragmatic side of government causes some strange bed partners. Even if the the actual person who pulled the trigger was Mossad, it is very possible they were not the only players in that particular game.

L-