Middle Eastern Nukes

http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/040119-israel-nukes.htm

Here’s my favorite line from that article: “The 1973 war had a lasting consequence: “Thus started the subtle, opaque use of the Israeli bomb to ensure that the United States kept its pledge to maintain Israel’s conventional weapons edge over its foes,” Farr writes.”

We should have let them cook one off at Damascus, told the Soviets we wouldn’t intervene, and watched as they then got slagged by the Soviets. Much better than being played for fools :rolleyes:

This does explain to a degree the cooperation between Israel and South Africa on Derby/R-Darter-it didn’t materialize out of nowhere, the relationship was already there.

This was typical: “”Of the four countries which at that time had a nuclear capacity – the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France – only France was willing to help us,” Shimon Peres, then Israel’s defense minister, said in the 2001 documentary The Bomb in the Basement. “

And this tells you to think twice before believing anything they say-they obviously only have their own interests in mind (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but one others dealing with them should be aware of):”John F. Kennedy apparently was the last U.S. president to directly challenge Israel about its true intentions at Dimona.

“Are you making an atom bomb?” he asked Peres.

“Mr. President, I can promise you one thing,” Peres hedged, as he recalled in the 2001 documentary. “Israel will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons in the Middle East.””

The fact that they may have over 200 weapons makes me wish we hadn’t forced Libya to disarm and give up WMDs. Only having one nation with WMD over there is not necessarily a good idea for the security of the others.