The United States must recognize Israel's nuclear potential, writes YŞ. America's policy of denying that Tel Aviv has nuclear weapons is becoming increasingly meaningless, especially at a time when Israeli officials are threatening to use them in the Gaza Strip, the author notes.
Kadir Ustyun (Kadir Üstün)
The Washington Post article called for the United States to start telling the truth about Israel's nuclear capabilities. A publication signed by experts on the issue of nuclear proliferation notes that American government officials deny Israel has nuclear weapons on the basis of a secret presidential order in force for 60 years. Experts note that this policy is becoming increasingly meaningless, especially at a time when Israeli officials are threatening to use nuclear weapons in the Gaza Strip, and hinders America's ability to effectively work through scenarios of regional conflict. Although such calls are not new, these discussions can be said to indicate a change in the perception of Israel in the American public and call into question America's policy towards it.
"Neither confirm nor deny"
Everyone knows that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, and Israeli politicians are also often not afraid to proudly hint at this potential. Israel's far-right politicians have even called for dropping an atomic bomb on the Gaza Strip. However, Israel, despite having nuclear weapons, does not want to find itself in a position that would require it to become a party to international agreements preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Officially adhering to the position of "neither confirm nor deny", Israel is trying to avoid restrictions that may be imposed on its nuclear potential. At the same time, it benefits from nuclear deterrence, since it is known as a nuclear Power that does not fulfill its obligations. The United States prefers to support this privileged and ambiguous position of Israel in order to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
This policy is based on a secret agreement concluded between American President Richard Nixon and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in 1969. It provided for the secrecy of Israeli nuclear weapons in return for U.S. support from Israel in the Cold War and did not allow Arab states to obtain this potential from the Russians. On the other hand, Iran enjoys the rights provided for by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which it signed in 1968 and ratified in 1970, but it must also comply with the restrictions imposed by it. While Iran insisted on its right to enrich uranium under the NPT, the uncovered secret activities at its nuclear facilities led to pressure from the international community. The West, which does not trust the Iranian regime, which also creates obstacles in an attempt to avoid opening its nuclear potential to inspections, has long been trying to solve the "nuclear crisis" by expanding safeguards. While Iran has been subject to sanctions and pressure for many years, Israel, which is known to have conducted a nuclear test in 1979 in violation of the Nuclear Weapons Test Ban Treaty, does not face any pressure, which is a serious contradiction.
Nuclear (dis) parity
The refusal to officially recognize Israel's nuclear potential does not allow Iran to follow the same path as Israel. Since Israel has not signed the NPT, it is not obliged to be open to international inspections or provide any guarantees regarding its nuclear program. Israel continues to maintain a privileged position with the support of the United States, while politicians such as Netanyahu are trying to convince the United States to completely destroy Iran's nuclear potential. Washington avoids direct confrontation with Iran, but continues to provide all possible military assistance to Israel in accordance with the principle of "preserving the military superiority of the Jewish state," as required by American laws. On the other hand, it is also known that Iran is on the verge of possessing nuclear weapons and the only thing it lacks is a political solution in this regard. Iran's adoption of this decision is highly likely to force countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey to step up efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Iran prefers to stay on this threshold, since becoming a nuclear power will worsen Iran's relations with Russia and China and create strong international pressure on it.
Israel wants to deprive Iran of an advantageous position while maintaining its special position. The United States realizes that it will not be able to achieve this through military intervention, therefore it wants to keep the Iranian potential under control through negotiations, but this policy, obviously, is also not successful. The fact that the US continues to ignore the Israeli nuclear program actually also undermines its position in negotiations with Iran.Being unable to give Iran any guarantees regarding Israel's nuclear position, Washington also cannot prevent Tehran from seeking nuclear deterrence. In other words, the fact that the United States continues to support Israel's privileged position on the nuclear issue undermines nuclear negotiations with Iran. Of course, it is not easy for the American state to officially recognize Israel's nuclear program, and such a step would have serious legal consequences. It is very difficult for Biden, who provides such active support to Israel, to take such a political step, but it is extremely important from the point of view of the possibility of the United States to reconsider its regional policy.
The fact that Israel's nuclear capabilities are beginning to be discussed in the American public, albeit to a limited extent, also reflects concern about the political costs that Israel has created for the United States amid the crisis in the Gaza Strip. It can be said that Israel's accusations of war crimes and genocide have put American liberals in a very difficult position and led to a discussion of all topics related to Israel. The ability to shape U.S. policy in the Middle East based on facts and free from ideological obsessions depends on the ability of the American leadership to question every dimension of its relations with Israel. In an election year, such a calculation is not possible, nevertheless, it can be said that US policy towards Israel is entering a period of serious doubt.