Expelled Israeli consul suspected of sexual harassment

2/10/2005 3:00:00 PM GMT

The former Israeli consular affairs officer in Australia was asked to leave the country last month due to alleged sexual harassment and security-related reasons, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The Herald reported that Australian authorities said that if Israel didn’t withdraw the Canberra-based diplomat, identified as Amir Lati, voluntarily, steps would be taken to consider him persona non grata and to start proceedings for his deportation.

In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry ordered the diplomat, whose identity wasn’t revealed, to leave the country and return home immediately, the Herald said, quoting unidentified sources.

The Australian government said that it demands Lati to either step down or risk the expulsion for two reasons; “national security” namely the suspicion of his involvement in espionage inside Australia, and "out of hours activities."

The Herald reported that several women who met with Lati complained that he harassed them with repeated telephone calls which “unnerved” them.

It was also reported that Lati had a relationship with a woman who worked for the Australian Defense Department.

The Australian media reported that the “national security” reasons were Lati’s links to two Mossad agents who were convicted in last year’s spy scandal in New Zealand.

A New Zealand court sentenced Uriel Kelman, 31, and Eli Cara, 51, to six months in jail and ordered them to pay $100,000 to the Cerebral Palsy Society for fraudulently trying to obtain a passport.

Lati reportedly visited the agents in the New Zealand jail.

New Zeland’s Prime Minister Helen Clark and Foreign Minister Phil Goff said at the time that there were "very strong grounds" to believe that the two men were working for the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence services.

Israel never admitted that the men were spies but the case caused a major crack in Israel’s relations with New Zealand.

After serving two months of their sentences, both men were deported in September.

The Herald also reported that the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) will brief members of the opposition Labor Party on the matter.

However, Australian officials as well as ASIO chief Dennis Richardson declined to comment on the affair.

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