Britain Expels Israeli Envoy, PLO Official

The British government on Friday ordered the expulsions of an Israeli diplomat and an official of the Palestine Liberation Organization in connection with a secret Israeli spy operation and a PLO arms cache in Britain.

A Foreign Office spokesman said that Israeli attache Arie Regev and the PLO’s London press officer, Zaki al Hawa, are no longer welcome because of activities “incompatible” with their diplomatic duties and that they must leave the country by the end of June.

The spokesman added that Hawa has been identified as a member of the PLO’s Force 17, an elite unit whose members guard high-ranking PLO officials.

He also made clear that Britain had expressed irritation that the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, had not kept Britain informed of its operations in Britain.

‘Incompatible Activities’

“This isn’t the first time that we have told the Israelis these sort of activities are incompatible with diplomatic status and will not be tolerated,” one British official said.

In Jerusalem, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “We regret that Her Majesty’s government has seen fit to take measures of the kind adopted. Israel did not act against any British interests.”

The expulsions follow the conviction this week of Ishmael Sowan, a 28-year-old Palestinian who was recruited by Mossad--without Britain’s knowledge--to spy on PLO member Abder Mustapha, suspected of arranging the London murder of an Arab cartoonist. Mustapha, who also has been identified as belonging to Force 17, is now believed to be hiding in Tunisia.

Sentenced to Prison

Sowan, who was caught in London with an arsenal of explosives, grenades and assault rifles that he said belonged to Mustapha, was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison for illegal arms possession.

Informed sources said Regev, who has been stationed in Britain since July, 1984, was a Mossad agent who supervised Sowan’s spying activities.

The decision to expel the Israeli attache, whose exact function at the embassy was not disclosed, was one of the most serious moves Britain has taken against Israel in recent years, the sources added.

As for Hawa’s expulsion, the spokesman for the British Foreign Office said: “Although we have no evidence to implicate (Hawa) in this crime, the PLO leadership must understand that the use of violence in Britain is unacceptable.” He also noted that although the PLO maintains a London office, it does not have diplomatic status in Britain.