Israel
. . . refuses to
acknowledge the existence of
these [nuclear]
weapons because it would
trigger a series of U.S. laws
that would result in the
cutoff of U.S. military and
economic aid to the Jewish
state.
RENEGADE
RATTLES ISRAELI NUKE PROGRAM
By Niles Lathem
May 14, 2002 — WASHINGTON –
A rare court appearance by
Israeli whistleblower Mordechai
Vanunu yesterday rekindled the worldwide debate over Israel’s secret nuclear-weapons program, at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East.
Vanunu, a former nuclear technician who is serving an 18-year prison term for treason for giving a London newspaper pictures of Israel’s nuclear reactor in the Negev Desert in 1988, appeared in court to seek permission to meet with his
British lawyers and make public documents from his trial.
But the
seemingly benign courtroom procedure,
coming at a time of intense conflict
between Israel and the Palestinians,
once again kicked off the global
controversy over Israel’s long-standing
policy of “nuclear ambiguity” and its
continuing refusal to admit that it is
the world’s sixth-biggest nuclear
power.
The CIA and the Pentagon believe that
Israel now has between 200 and 400
enhanced radiation and hydrogen weapons.
“They are the only nuclear power in the
Middle East and if you are sitting in
Damascus or Baghdad you know that Israel is holding all the cards,” said Tim
Brown of Globalsecurity.org, a Virginia defense think tank.
“The U.S. has always made it a policy of actively looking the other way,” Brown added.
Israel, which has not signed the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, refuses to formally acknowledge the existence of these weapons because it would trigger a series of U.S. laws that would result in the cutoff of U.S. military and economic aid to the Jewish state.