World must force Israel to dismantle its nuclear arsenal

While Western countries float the theory that Russia could escalate its conflict with Ukraine to a nuclear war, many of these governments continue to turn a blind eye to Israel’s nuclear weapons capabilities. Luckily, many countries around the world do not subscribe to this endemic Western hypocrisy.

The UN’s Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear

Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction was held between Nov. 14 and Nov. 18. It had the sole purpose of creating new standards of accountability that, as should have always been the case, apply equally to all Middle Eastern countries.

The debate regarding nuclear weapons in the Middle East could not be any more pertinent or urgent. International observers rightly note that the period following the Russia-Ukraine war is likely to accelerate the quest for nuclear weapons throughout the world.

For years, Arab and other countries attempted to raise the issue that accountability regarding the development and acquisition of nuclear weapons cannot be confined to states that are perceived to be enemies of Israel and the West. The latest of these efforts was a UN resolution that called on Israel to dispose of its nuclear weapons and to place its nuclear facilities under the monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The resolution, which was drafted by Egypt with the support of other

Arab countries, passed with an initial vote of 152-5. Unsurprisingly, among the five countries that voted against the draft were the US, Canada and Israel itself.

Since its inception, Israel has resorted to and utilized the phrase “existential threat” countless times. Various Arab governments, later

Iran and even individual Palestinian resistance movements were accused of endangering Israel’s very existence. This should worry everyone, not just in the Middle East, but the whole world. A country with such hyped sensitivity about imagined existential threats should not be allowed to acquire the kind of weapons that could destroy the entire region several times over.

Some may argue that Israel’s nuclear arsenal is intrinsically linked to real fears resulting from its historical conflict with the Arabs. However, this is not the case. As soon as Israel finalized its ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their historic homeland — and long before any serious resistance was carried out in response — Israel was already on the lookout for nuclear weapons.

Estimates vary, but the facts regarding

Israel’s weapons of mass destruction are hardly contested. Israel itself practices what is known as “deliberate ambiguity,” sending a message to its enemies of its lethal power without revealing anything that may hold it accountable to international inspection.

Israel continues to refuse to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which is endorsed by 191 countries.

Israeli leaders adhere to what is known as the Begin doctrine, in reference to Menachem Begin, the right-wing Israeli prime minister who ordered the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, resulting in the killing of thousands. The doctrine is formulated around the idea that, while Israel gives itself the right to own nuclear weapons, its enemies in the Middle East must not be allowed to do the same. This continues to direct Israeli actions to this day.

The efforts at the UN General Assembly to create a Middle East free of nuclear weapons are welcome. It behooves everyone, Washington included, to join the rest of the world in finally forcing Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which would be a first, critical step