The US State Department has released a series of documents from 1969-1972 related to US policy toward Israel, including intense efforts by the Nixon Administration to try to prevent Israel from acquiring nuclear arms, and to convince them to join the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
The US had gotten a concession from then deputy DM Shimon Peres in the early 1960’s that Israel would not be the first nation to introduce nuclear weapons to the region, which the US interpreted at the time as them not getting nuclear arms.
Israeli officials, rather, saw this as meaning they could make all the nukes they wanted so long as they kept them a secret. The Nixon Administration then sought to get a written assurance they wouldn’t produce nuclear warheads, and pushed for them to sign the NPT by year’s end, saying Israel spent years “delaying” on that issue.
Ultimately, Israel was only willing to reiterate the promise not to introduce nuclear weapons to the region, and the US let the matter slide. Nearly 50 years later, Israel has a major nuclear arsenal, but is still operating under the theory that if they don’t formally talk about it, they’re complying with pledges to the US.
Of course Israel is according to the South African Government the ONLY country to ever SELL Nuclear weapons to another country and that it was Bibi that negotiated that sale! That sale was also at a time when there was a United Nations Embargo on South Africa! There is a Rogue nation in the Middle East, that nation is Israel!
Why can't Iran do the same?
because they're not the chosen people ™.!!
Because Israel is a chosen nation and Iran is an axis of evil (sarcasm)
No wonder Nixon got trashed royally
Israel has nukes? — Show me how?
The Western powers created Israel to terrorize the Middle-East, to maximize profit in selling war materials to the Middle-East. Surely, Israel has no nukes as our ruling elite know that allowing such religious fascists to have nukes would some day blow up in our face.
Israel has nukes? Show me how?
The Western powers created Israel to terrorize the Middle-East, to maximize profit in selling war materials to the Middle-East. Surely, Israel has no nukes as our ruling elite know that allowing such religious fascists to have nukes would some day blow up in our face.
What moral basis is there for an agreement that requires American officials, elected and unelected, to lie to he American people. Lying undercuts democracy. Americans have a right to know the truth. Would you teach this to a child? Accept it as testimony in a court? Have any self-respect if you acted thus? Israel humiliates, debases every American with this Lie.
Excellent. Truth vs. lie. That's the true war we are facing.
Even if they are "complying with pledges to the US" that is no longer good enough.
This is not the Cold War world of 1972. Satisfying the US is not the sole test of international relations in the West.
The US would like it to be, Israel depends on that, but it is no longer true and that genie can't be put back in that bottle.
This is coming down the pike, and the US will either get out of the way or get run over with Israel. Getting run over would do the US immense harm to its remaining prestige as leader.
This release is part of the Office’s ongoing project, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center, to digitize the entire Foreign Relations series. Looking for Department of State documents?