Israel Slams Calls for Nuclear Transparency

IAEA's Secret 'Nuclear-Free Mideast' Conference Not as Critical of Israel as Normal

Officials say that the criticism of Israel was nowhere near as broad as they expected at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s conference of a “nuclear-free Middle East,” a conference which was held entirely behind closed doors.

At the same time, it was pointed out by members that Israel’s massive nuclear arsenal and total lack of transparency are going to make the goal of a nuclear-free Middle East entirely impossible.

Israel, for its part, loudly condemned calls for transparency saying that it was only possible for Israel to offer any transparency on its nuclear program when “the threate perception of all regional members is low.”

Officials cited the “noncompliance with international obligations” of other nations in the Middle East as a chief region for their refusal to even enter into such obligations themselves. Israel is the only nation in the entire region with nuclear weapons.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.