by Dan Margalit
If authorized representatives of each of the Arab League nations could talk to Israel, they would probably whisper that they welcome the possibility that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, because under particularly dire circumstances, it could serve as the single most effective deterrent to ward off the Iranian ayatollahs.
The ink has not yet
dried on the 159-page nuclear agreement with Iran, and already Arab
states are rushing to demand international inspection of Israel's
suspected nuclear facilities. The Arab League is also seeking to compel
Israel to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,
based on experts' assumptions that Israel possesses a substantial depot
of atomic bombs.
Recently, U.S.
President Barack Obama stymied Egyptian efforts to raise Israel's
alleged nuclear conduct to the international agenda, and it looked as
though we would have five years of quiet after that, but no. The Arab
League is renewing its demand at a unique time, raising the question: In
light of their disappointment with the Iran nuclear deal and the
Americans' weakness, could the possibility of Israel being a nuclear
power actually serve the interests of the Arab states that are
complaining about it?
Israel's nuclear
activity, if it in fact exists, counters Iran's growing power as a
threat to regional states and their international maritime routes. If
authorized representatives of each of the Arab League nations could talk
to Israel, they would probably whisper that they welcome the
possibility that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, because under
particularly dire circumstances, it could serve as the single most
effective deterrent to ward off the Iranian ayatollahs.
Arab governments are
bound by rhetoric that does not accurately reflect their interests. In
practice, it may be in their best interests to create a unified bloc,
including Israel and possibly Turkey at some point down the line, to
ward off Iran's expansion efforts. But because of their commitment to an
anti-Israel lexicon, they make declarations that run contrary to their
actual interests.
One of their demands
reaches the point of absurdity. They want to force Israel to join the
non-proliferation treaty, but Iran has been a signatory of the treaty
for years, and if the Iranian signature had any value there would be no
need for the agreement that was reached this week. After all, they have
made previous commitments not to manufacture nuclear weapons, so this
signature is meaningless.
Meanwhile, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a letter this week from attorney
Itai Mack, on behalf of the Israeli Disarmament Movement, seeking
legislation that would regulate the status of Israel's Atomic Energy
Commission, established by David Ben-Gurion after the establishment of
the state, which has been functioning well, and in secret, ever since.
Ostensibly, it seems the natural thing to do. But in reality it could
destroy Israel's policy of nuclear ambiguity. Careful, the secret of the
Dimona reactor is out.
Dan Margalit
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=13201
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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