Hassan Tahsin

When we say that Israel possesses weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons, and that they represent a real threat to the region, this is not an exaggeration. Israel hasn’t been content to merely wave the nuclear flag, but has in fact used it and spread nuclear mines.

Various sources have directed our attention to important points related to Israel’s nuclear strength, the last of which was a report published in “Jane’s Intelligence Review” in November 1994. The report says:

1. The spread of nuclear weapons in Israel began early on — it was limited but organized, until it was integrated into the structure of the Israeli Armed Forces. Aircraft have been earmarked for nuclear usage, so have Missile stations and even rail carriages carry some nuclear missiles in attempts to hide them inside hills and caves. Missiles in the Golan were carried on moving platforms reinforced by a network of tunnels.

2. Irrefutably three main nuclear stations have been fully outfitted and they are: Tel Nov airbase for F-40 and F-16 bombers, working as nuclear formations and storing their bombs in locations close to the airbase, Kfar Zekharya, which is the most important one — a base for advanced “Jericho-2” type nuclear weapons. It includes around 50 fortified underground hiding places, and inside of each of them is a missile. The International Institutes for Strategic Studies estimates there to be around 100 missiles. The third base includes tactical nuclear weapons of different types such as cannon balls.

3. Orders for armament and the launch of nuclear weapons were initially limited to the prime minister, the minister of defense and the chief of staff. In later stages the procedures were amended to include the chief of the air force, and so the command structure for the Israeli nuclear power became a quartet. In addition, there is a planning authority that includes the general leadership, but its work is limited to identifying targets. It was important to consolidate that nuclear weapons capability, and so Israel began to accumulate the technology for producing the missiles.

A study prepared a complete and ambitious plan for producing and developing missiles. They abided by that plan and the US provided them with unlimited aid in that respect, which enabled Israel within a few years to enter the space arena and launch a number of satellites. Israel’s technological advancement in the field of missile manufacture raised its stature and nuclear threat. By the same token it advanced Israel into the Space Age. Israel relied on American technology to develop missile manufacture as well as relying on both US and advanced Russian technology in developing its space capabilities.

Israel managed to get Russian technologies in two ways: First through the Jewish scientists who immigrated to Israel, and second by a cooperative effort with the Russian Space Agency — the fruits of which were the launch of a Russian Satellite. This is a very brief account of Israel’s nuclear capabilities and it is what drives us to demand a comparison between that nuclear arsenal and what North Korea, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Libya and Sudan possess.

Saying that these countries threaten international peace and security but not to include Israel at the head of the list is contradictory. Arab nations are agreed about the necessity of making the Middle East a WMD-free zone, which of course includes Israel, which strongly demands it be accepted as part of that region. Its acceptance within the Arab group is directly related to the establishment of a free and independent Palestinian state and Israel’s complete renunciation of all WMDs. The question is, will Israel agree to get rid of those weapons and will the international community demand that it abandon those weapons some day?

I suspect that is impossible, unworkable and unacceptable to Israel. It is something that the international powers cannot impose on Israel. It is also what contributes to continued tension in the Middle East, even if a Palestinian state were to be established, because the nuclear threat will always hang around our necks and prevent Israel from ever being accepted within the fabric of the countries of the Middle East.

Arab News Opinion 23 June 2003