US officials today blasted Arab nations for seeking to bring Israel’s nuclear weapons up at the IAEA, saying that singling out Israel as the only nuclear-armed nation in the region would harm the push to eliminate such arms in the region.
The Obama Administration had initially endorsed the idea of a nuclear-free Middle East, but has quickly backtracked on that position when it realized, apparently after the fact, that Israel is the only nation in the region with such weapons, and has ruled out giving them up. Since then Obama has endorsed Israel’s “right” to have such an arsenal.
IAEA chief Amano Yukiya says that the current situation appears unresolvable, and attempts to get Israel and the Arab nations of the region to agree on how to approach a nuclear-free region is a failure.
It’s not surprising, since the Arab position is that a nuclear-free Middle East means exactly what it said, and Israel’s position is that it’s outright impossible. These are not subtle differences, and there’s no real middle ground.
But Israel is the only nuke-armed regime in the region. It has singled itself out
When talk about a nuke free ME started I had to laugh…Israel, under any circumstances or under any governing coalition was NEVER going to give up their nukes – and whatever other nasty stuff they have stuck away on their secret installations out in the desert. That's why they don't want to sign on to these weapons treaties. They don't want any outsiders snooping around, taking counts and such. And I do believe that the Israelis will eventually use some of their weapons of mass destruction, hopefully not in what's left of my lifetime. I'd say hopefully not ever but I have little faith that that will happen as they are backing themselves into a corner they've manufactured – a self-fulfilling prophecy of their own demise.
And to top it off the Israelis have so much arrogance and Chutzpah ( a Jewish word meaning shameless audacity) that for over 20 years their political crazies have accused Iran of building nukes. The Mossad, the Russians, the US, the IAEA all say there is no evidence that Iran is working on nukes, but it doesn't keep the Political crazies in Israel and the US from spouting the same lies over and over.
it looks as if IAEA chief Amano Yukiya has obliged his western sponsors by removing this bothersome issue from the IAEA agenda
Sure, the Obama administration initially "endorsed" the idea of a nuclear free middle east. With its usual sterling grasp of the issues. Then, it woke up one day and realized that there are three nuclear powers in the area: the US, Israel, and Pakistan.
It does not want to reduce its own nuclear weapons (generally or in that area– in the form of its fleet in the Indian Ocean), so it cannot seriously call on obedient lackeys Pakistan or Israel to reduce theirs. Its claims on Iran arise strictly from Iranian lack of obedience these days, as the Shah was working on nuclear weapons, too, many years ago, with nary a peep.