Two Israelis, whom New Zealand claims are Mossad agents, have been sentenced to jail. The Auckland High Court sentenced Uriel Zosha Kelman (31) and Elisha Cara (50) to six months in jail and a fine of NZ$50,000 (US$32,000) each, to be paid to a local charity for the handicapped.
The New Zealand government has reacted strongly to the incident, announcing diplomatic sanctions against Israel. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said the activities by Israel's intelligence services were a serious incident.
The Foreign Ministry said in response that Israel attached great importance to its relations with New Zealand. Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom today expressed hope that the difficulties could be overcome soon and that good relations with New Zealand would be restored.
Hebrew-language website "Ynet" reports that Kelman and Cara admitted to the Aukland High Court two week ago that they tried to fraudulently obtain a New Zealand passport, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Kelman and Cara today asked the court to let them pay compensation to the family of the handicapped man whose name they used in their attempt to obtain a passport. The family replied that they did not want the money, and asked that it be donated to charity.
Kelman and Cara were originally indicted together on three counts of attempting to fraudulently obtain a New Zealand passport and belonging to a criminal organization. They refused to plead guilty to the charges. The prosecutor then filed an amended indictment with one charge, to which they plead guilty. No reason was given for the revision to the indictment, and the two men's attorneys declined to comment on the matter.
Sources in New Zealand claim that Kelman and Cara were involved with a third Israel, Zeev William Barkan, who fled the country before the affair was discovered and the men involved were arrested.
"The New Zealand Herald" revealed the affair in April.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on July 15, 2004