The so-called slip of the tongue that Israel has nuclear weapons by Israeli Prime Minister Olmert has conveniently occurred after Robert Gates, the new U.S. defence secretary’s statement that Israel has an arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Robert Gates’ statement is part of a new foreign policy endeavor which purports not only to acknowledge but also to legitimize Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons. The latter are slated to used on a preemptive basis in response to alleged Iranian threats directed against Israel. Although refuted by expert opinion, Iran is said to possess nuclear weapons capabilities.  
 

Defence Secretary Gates also stated that the United States could not ensure Israel’s protection from potential Iranian nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Israel is claiming that it needs nuclear weapons to be used on a preemptive basis in response to the menace by Iran and its allies to allegedly liquidate it.   

Public consensus is being slowly built in regards to Israeli weapons of mass destructions (WMDs). The admission regarding Israel’s nuclear arsenal  (almost simultanously by Washington and Tel Aviv) seems to be part of a carefully planned campaign to legitimize Israeli nuclear weapons as a necessary means of self-defense. These statements are also linked to a broader geopolitical and strategic project to create a “New Middle East,” controlled by the United States, Britain, and Israel in alliance with NATO.   

Global Research, December 17,  2006

ANNEX

Olmert’s nuclear remark sign of weakness – Iran

Reuters

December 15, 2006

Iran said on Friday a remark by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, widely interpreted as an admission the Jewish state has nuclear weapons, was a sign of Israel’s weakness.

Olmert, in a German TV interview shown on Monday, implied for the first time that his country had nuclear weapons. His aides quickly denied it constituted an admission or change of policy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, visiting Kazakhstan, called on the world community to take action.

“Their prime minister has announced they have got nuclear arms. It does not show their strength. It shows their weakness. They are afraid,” Mottaki told reporters in the Kazakh capital Astana.

“The international community should react to this in an appropriate way,” he said.

Israel, which has accused Iran of having an atomic weapons programme, is believed to have the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal.

In his interview, Olmert said: “Iran, openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Can you say that this is the same level, when they are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?”

Independent analysts believe Israel has built between 80 and 200 nuclear warheads since the late 1960s. Israel refuses to discuss the matter, under an “ambiguity” policy aimed both at deterring regional foes and avoiding an arms race.

Copyright Reuters 2006