Israeli Nukes

Rumsfeld's replacement, Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, admitted an open secret recently at his confirmation hearing: that Israel posses nuclear capability. This is the first time a senior US official has openly confirmed Israel's nuclear capability. Why the secrecy? You'd think that with nuclear capability, Israel would want its aggressive neighbours to know -- presumably, deterrence is still worth something these days. Perhaps however, the Arab countries are already aware of Israel's nuclear capability, and is especially why Iran is hell-bent on going nuclear as well, as Gates speculated. With Israel not admitting nuclear capability publicly however, the US can quietly continue aiding and trading with Israel as if they're not a nuclear state -- while Israel doesn't have to open itself to international inspections or be pressured to sign any nuclear anti-proliferation treaties.

This double-standard with Israel begs another line of questioning as well -- does it really matter if they publicly admit their nuclear capability? The answer is a short, yes. It does actually matter. Nuclear proliferation is not a good thing. This world is the only home we have, and the fact that any one country has the ability to inflict long term harm to it is a cause of concern for all of us. Further, Israel's ability to wage a nuclear war only further complicates and destabilizes the Middle East, as neighbours rush to create their own weapons of mass destruction. The fact that Israel is a friend should not change our stance on such matters.

In response to Gates' admission, Israel's Deputy PM is quoted as saying, "Whether or not Israel has nuclear weapons, the fact is that Israel is the only country threatened with destruction ... Israel is not threatening any country. Weapons do not fire themselves, people fire them." Exactly. Which is exactly why more nations should not posses such destructive power.