Israeli consul-general under investigation

From CNN Producer Henry Schuster

ATLANTA (CNN) -- A senior Israeli diplomat in the United States told CNN Friday he is under investigation by his own government because of unreported contacts with an Iraqi citizen.

Jacob Rosen, the Israeli consul general in Atlanta, acknowledged he was the target of an investigation but would not provide details.

"As long as they are checking, it would not be professional of me to comment as a civil servant," he said. "They are in the middle of investigation."

In an interview with the Atlanta Jewish Times Thursday, the deputy Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Nissan Ben-Shaitreet, said the investigation was nearing completion and he was headed back to Israel to discuss it with his colleagues before making a final decision.

Other Israeli government officials said Rosen and his wife, Annette, met a man they said was an Iraqi political refugee while Rosen was posted to the Israeli Embassy in Amman, Jordan.

The investigation centers on whether Mrs. Rosen and the Iraqi, identified by CNN's sources as Isham Bahalul, traveled together to the United States before Rosen was posted in Atlanta last year. Of particular concern to investigators is that Bahalul apparently lived with the Rosens for several months in their Atlanta apartment.

Bahalul's immigration status when he entered the United States was not clear and he could not be located for comment.

Israel considers Iraq to be a hostile state and, said one government official, "The law is clear. You cannot associate with Iraqis because we are officially at war with them."

"The question is whether this was an honest mistake," he added, raising concern about possible security breaches. Newspaper reports in Israel said officials within the consulate sounded the alarm about the Iraqi late last year.

Rosen and his wife introduced Bahalul to a number of people in Atlanta.

One of those who met Bahalul at the Rosens' apartment described him as well educated. According to a report in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot the diplomat described the Iraqi as his wife's art teacher and denied they were romantically linked.

Rosen told CNN, "The story is very interesting. If I was on the outside, I would be interested. We live in a glass house. Someone went to the media, what I can do? The story sounds fantastic, (but) the story is really not fantastic. I am 27 years in the foreign service, I lived in Arab countries."

The news has caused disquiet in Atlanta's Jewish community.

"Obviously we want to get all the facts before jumping to conclusions but we would be disappointed if any of these allegations had any truth. This is not the time we need scandals, it is the time we need clear voices from Israeli leaders," said Jay Kaiman, southeastern regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

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