A Polish court ruled on Wednesday that an alleged Mossad agent linked to the Dubai slaying of a Hamas leader should be extradited to Germany, dpa reported.
Uri Brodsky, an Israeli citizen, is suspected of having helped to forge a German passport used by one of the attackers in the January assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
Brodsky hid his face from reporters as he walked to the courtroom, escorted by seven anti-terrorist policemen. The proceedings were closed to the media.
Prosecutors said last month that they were not taking politics into consideration, but were acting in accordance with procedures.
Germany reportedly issued a European arrest warrant for Brodsky on suspicion of acting as an agent for a foreign intelligence service.
News reports said Brodsky is not believed to have visited Dubai, but to have helped another of the 27 agents to obtain a German passport by posing as someone else.
Israel has spoken out against the extradition, saying the suspect should face an Israeli court.
Israel's request not to extradite Brodsky put Poland in the delicate position of choosing between two close allies, Germany and Israel, commentators said.
In Berlin, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere was asked if the extradition might create strains between Germany and Israel.
He replied that extraditions were "dealt with primarily as a matter of criminal law, not according to foreign policy interests."
Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said he hopes the case will not harm Polish-Israeli relations, but that European law left the court with few choices.
Germany applied for the suspect's extradition after he was arrested on June 4 in Warsaw's airport on an European arrest warrant.
Along with other western nations, Germany was angry that its passports were used by members of a suspected Mossad hit team that is believed to have murdered al-Mabhouh, a co-founder of Hamas' military wing, in a hotel room on January 19.