Someday this will probably be an Oscar nominated movie directed by Steven Spielberg but for right now I am surprised that it has barely gotten a mention in the American media. There was some buzz about it when it first happened but i havent seen a mention of it since then even though a massive internnational investigation is underway and fascinating new details are being regularly released.
For those who dont know what I'm referring to, let me brief the events. About 2 months ago Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a Palestinian/ Hamas senior military commander, checked into a 5 star hotel in Dubai, UAE. A few hours later, he was found dead in his hotel room with no sign of any struggle.
In the ensuing investigation, surveillance cameras from the hotel, other nearby hotels and the airport show that a hit team was trailing him from the moment he arrived in the country and even prior to that in the hotel where he checked in.
Agents using fake passports, wigs and disguises can be seen throughout the videos. In one scene, after he checked into the hotel and was boarding the elevator/lift to his room, 2 agents innocuously disguised as tennis players coming back from a game can be seen slipping into the elevator and following him to see where his room is without a hint of suspicious activity at the time.
Information released this week by Dubai raised the number of conspiracy suspects from 11 to 26. The Mossad is the Israeli intelligence agency similar to the CIA and MI5 but much more aggressive in going after state enemies. I would say they are more like the KGB. (Watch the spy thriller
Munich to get an idea of what they do).
The agents arrived from different countries, stayed at different hotels and worked in different teams to avoid detection. They used fake passports with altered photos of themselves to avoid visual id and encrypted devices to communicate between themselves. It is believed that they used an electronic device to gain entry into the room and then attempted to reprogram when leaving after the hit. Initially when the body was found, it was believed that he died of natural causes in his sleep. That is, until further investigation turned up all these things. The government of Israel has so far neither denied or confirmed any involvement (haw haw).
Here is a news story about it and the unedited surveillance video released thus far.
Now here's my questions in all this. Assuming that Mossad agents indeed are responsible for this hit and identified, how should they be treated? Are they morally justified in committing first degree murder on behalf of their government or should they be tried and sentenced like any other murder conspiracy? What would be the repercussions for Israel's allies such as to the US and UK if they do not pressure the government of Israel to extradite them for trial and allow them to remain free?
I imagine the Hannity/Beck types on the far right will pound their chest about how they are "heroes" who were defending their country and should not be tried much like the Americans who waterboarded in Guantanamo or even committed murder in Iraq. Sort of an ends justifies the means type of argument where as long as what they are doing supports their ideology, it is okay but let's switch the facts a little.
What if this were an intelligence hit team from Iran who managed to infiltrate a third country where an American or British military official is staying and the same ending ensues? Same means, same style of killing, different target and different ideology. Would they be considered Iranian heroes who are defending their country against external threats? Or would certain ideologues be posturing for an invasion of Iran and war unless the "terrorists" are turned over?
