Issues Under Fire: Obama Declassifies Israeli Nuke Capabilities

Issues Under Fire: Obama Declassifies Israeli Nuke Capabilities 

Breaking News: The Israelis Have Nuclear Weapons. While this revelations shouldn't be news to anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together, the timing of the story's release is. Providing verification of Israel's worst kept secret, the Obama administration quietly released a 129 page document from 1987 outlining Israel's nuclear program capabilities as well as other WMD's in its possession and development.  

Slipping past most media outlets when released last month, the Critical Technology Assessment in Israel and NATO nations compares Israel's capabilities and production facilities, to that of Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories in the U.S. Thanks to the Dod complying with a (FOIA) freedom of information act request, the world finally has written confirmation of Israel's nuclear activities and capabilities. 

Until now, Israel has maintained a policy of not confirming or denying the existence of its nuclear program and the United States, until now have generally looked the other way or maintained an uncomfortable silence concerning the matter. But recent hostilities between the White House and Israel over Benjamin Netanyahu's blatant efforts to sabotage the P5+1 talks with Iran, forced the Obama administration's hand.  

Entering the final days of these historic talks, the international community being reminded of Israel's failure to admit the existence of its own nuclear program is bound to have an effect on the negotiators. The fact that Israel has argued so vociferously against Iran having any nuclear programs whatsoever because Tehran can never be monitored to the extent the world could be sure Iranian hard liners wasn't cheating, begs one to wonder, why Israel's program has been hidden from international scrutiny for so long.  

In the interest of fairness alone, one has to ask one's self, why is Iran being held to a higher standard. Why is Iran being forced to submit to intrusive inspections and limitation on research and development, when Israel can do whatever it wants, whenever it wants and to whomever it wants without answering to anyone? Why isn't Israel a signatory to the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty? Why has Israel refused to accept a WMD Free Zone for the Middle East? 

When Egypt proposed a Middle East WMD Free Zone back in 1990 and pressed the issue for years along with Russia, the Arab states and yes, believe or not Iran as well, when push came to shove, the United States and the Israelis proved to be the flies in the ointment.

Meetings and conferences were planned and scheduled as late as 2012 with the aim of involving all States in the Middle East in "establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and WMDs, however, just prior to said events, the United States bailed. Iran and the Arab League were pissed and they weren't quiet about it. The Israelis only gave lip service to the proposal until it was clear they had no intentions of participating. 

Bottom line: In many cases, its those who scream, shout an holler the loudest about the wrongdoings and untrustworthiness of others who deserves the most attention. From this writer's observations, it seems Iran has as strong case against Israel for being a trigger for a regional arms race than Israel has against Iran.  Podcast Below!