Israel’s nuclear weapons hypocrisy

For the past year, Israel has put pressure on the international community to do whatever it can to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

Yet Israel has possessed nuclear weapons for over 40 years and remains the only Middle Eastern country to do so.

It’s a case of hypocrisy and double standards that has frustrated many countries in the region. And last week, they were finally given the opportunity to voice it.

The Middle East nuclear debate

Even though it’s widely acknowledged that Israel has nuclear weapons, the government’s official policy is to neither confirm nor deny it.

Doing so allows them to avoid public scrutiny while also discouraging their Arab neighbours from launching an attack.

However, despite all the secrecy, the fact is that it’s perfectly legal for Israel to have such weapons.

They, along with North Korea, Pakistan and India, are the only countries in the world that aren’t members of the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

This treaty bans all member countries from having nuclear weapons except for those that had them at the time – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.

So legally speaking Israel is doing nothing wrong. But that’s not the point, especially in Iran’s eyes.

Like all the other countries, Iran signed up to the NPT voluntarily for the good of the cause – to stop the proliferation (spread) of nuclear weapons.

Israel didn’t, and now they’re angrily accusing Iran of breaking the very treaty that they themselves refused to sign.

From a plain fairness and moral point of view, Israel shouldn’t accuse Iran of anything nuclear-related because it’s simply hypocritical.

They should also get rid of their nuclear weapons and sign up to the NPT (as should North Korea, Pakistan and India).

Besides, if Iran wanted to build nuclear weapons they could simply pull out of the NPT just as North Korea did.

But Iran maintains they’re not interested in nuclear weapons as it’s against their religion. They claim their nuclear programme is only for peaceful and legal energy purposes.

To prove this point they have joined the Arab League in proposing a ‘nuclear-free Middle East.’

This concept has been supported by pretty much all countries including the US, and just last month the UN Security Council issued a statement saying it’s still the desired goal.

However, the statement didn’t specify how and when it’s supposed to happen. And with Israel saying they won’t sign up to the idea until the Middle East is “at peace”, implementing it remains vague.

Some people say Israel having a nuclear weapon has been good for the region as it has kept its Arab neighbours at bay.

But nowadays Israel has a super strong conventional military, and with US support, it doesn’t really need a nuclear weapon.

Whatever the case may be, the issue has consistently remained off the international agenda for discussion, mainly thanks to American efforts.

Don’t ask, don’t tell

In 1969, America agreed that it would never mention Israel’s nuclear weapons in public – an effective “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

In return, so America could save face, Israel promised never to admit their existence or conduct public nuclear tests.

This silent treatment has frustrated many in the international community, and at last week’s meeting in Vienna of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – the UN’s nuclear watchdog – the issue of Israel’s weapons made it onto the agenda for the first time since 1991.

At the meeting, a group of Middle Eastern countries including Iran criticised Israel for having nuclear weapons and for not signing up to the NPT.

They asked the IAEA to conduct an “historic inspection” of Israel’s nuclear facilities, which Iran even offered to pay for.

But the IAEA refused, saying they couldn’t do anything because Israel wasn’t a member of the NPT.

The US maintained its stance by saying “singling out Israel for [criticism] is in our view both counterproductive and inappropriate.”

In any case, the banter at the meeting in Vienna did little to stir public outcry. This is probably because Israel wasn’t there to reply.

In fact, it has successfully stayed away from any embarrassing debate on the matter.

For instance, in April Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled out of President Obama’s Nuclear Summit in Washington a week before the event after he found out that Turkey and Egypt were going to raise the issue of their nuclear weapons.

In the end, no matter how the Middle East nuclear debate gets spun, neither Iran nor Israel should have nuclear weapons.

So yes taking reasonable steps to ensure Iran doesn’t get them are more than justified.

But Israel can no longer hide behind big brother America while pointing the finger at someone else. It’s time they fronted up to reality that they are the biggest obstacle to a nuclear-free Middle East.

By The Casual Truth

Photo – Israel’s Negev Nuclear Research Centre near Dimona in the Negev Desert.