Back in 2004, Israel was caught spying in New Zealand, trying to obtain false passports for use in covert operations. Now it looks like they've been at it again, attempting to commit identity theft and possibly gaining access to police national computer system. With "friends" like these, do we really need enemies?
But the interesting thing is the source of the story: a leak from the SIS. This is unprecedented (and possibly illegal), and it raises obvious questions of motive. Did the SIS leak because their Minister, John Key, was unwilling to act on the case for fear of prejudicing NZ - Israeli relations? Or are they merely suffering from reduced staff loyalty after restructuring? Either way, there will no doubt now be a witch-hunt going on inside the SIS to try and find the leaker.
Meanwhile, Key is trying to stay silent, claiming that discussing the case is "not in the national interest". Bullshit. If a supposedly friendly country is spying on us, or abusing our hospitality to gain cover for their agents, then we deserve to know, so we can adjust our international relations accordingly.
Update: Key says that the SIS investigated, but found no evidence of espionage. So, why were they telling a newspaper something different then?
