Quake victims 'spied for Mossad'

The SIS became suspicious after "at least" five passports were found on Mizrahi, according to the report.


Prime Minister John Key - the son of a Jewish refugee who escaped Europe before the Holocaust - said the central allegation in the report was wrong.

"Security agencies conducted the investigation and found no evidence that the people were anything other than backpackers," he told reporters.

David Zwartz, chairman of the Wellington Regional Jewish Council, said on Wednesday: "Members of the Wellington Jewish community have expressed disgust at the level of allegation and smear in the article.

"As soon as we read that the Israeli ambassador to New Zealand was based in Canberra - he has lived in Wellington since April 2010 - we knew we could expect a level of fabrication in the whole story," he said.

"Once more a media beat-up at the expense of Israel."

The paper also reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his Kiwi counterpart four times on the day of the disaster, but failed to get through.

Three Israelis were among the 181 fatalities in the disaster.

In 2004, two alleged Mossad agents were caught and jailed for stealing a Kiwi passport. New Zealand severed diplomatic ties with Israel for more than a year until Israel apologised.