Aussie Jews welcome Zygier probes

AUSTRALIA'S Jewish community has welcomed the Australian and Israeli investigations into the mysterious death of Ben Zygier.

The tombstone of Ben Zygier in Melbourne

AUSTRALIA'S Jewish community says it hopes official investigations of the mysterious death of Melbourne man and suspected Israeli spy Ben Zygier will stop the rumours and bring his family some comfort.

Zygier was a dual Australian-Israeli citizen who died in a maximum-security Israeli prison in December 2010.

It is believed he worked for Israeli spy agency Mossad, but it is still unclear why he was arrested and imprisoned.

He was the so-called Prisoner X - one of Israel's most sensitive national security secrets until his identity was revealed last week.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry spoke about the case for the first time on Tuesday.

"We look forward to the official inquiries publishing concrete information about the circumstances surrounding the death of Ben Zygier in the hope that it will put further rumour and speculation to rest and bring some comfort to his still-grieving family and friends," council president Danny Lamm said in a statement.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is reviewing its handling of the case.

The Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Subcommittee for Intelligence and the Israeli state attorney's office have both announced their own probes.