Opinion Editorials, June 2013

Britain Still Won't Come Clean on Israel's Nukes

By Stuart Littlewood

Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, July 22, 2013

While the British government leads the charge to impose and tighten sanctions on Iran and makes other dire threats on the mere suspicion that Tehran may have nuclear weapons ambitions, its ministers continue to sidestep simple questions about Israel’s unsafeguarded nuclear weapons. Here is a recent example:

Written Answers — Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: Israel (8 July 2013)

Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat): To ask the secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs what estimate he has made of the number of nuclear warheads possessed by Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State – Afghanistan/South Asia, counter terrorism/proliferation, North America, Middle East and North Africa), Foreign and Commonwealth Office): We have regular discussions with the government of Israel on a wide range of nuclear-related issues. Israel has not declared a nuclear weapons programme. We encourage Israel to sign up to the non-proliferation treaty and call on them to agree a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Burt insults the intelligence of Parliament and the British public. So I have asked my MP, Henry Bellingham, to table another parliamentary question:

Dear Henry,

Mr Burt ducks the question. We all know that Israel is evasive about its nuclear weapons programme. Bob Russell asks for Her Majesty’s Government’s estimate of the number of nuclear warheads in Israel’s possession. We have an intelligence service, don’t we?

There can be no sensible discussion about Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons plans (and certainly no sabre-rattling or other silly threats) without factoring in Israel’s already established nuke stockpile and delivery systems. Why is the Israeli situation so “unmentionable”? Let’s take the lid off, so this nation can have a good look and be aware of the stark facts. Would you please lodge a written question, requiring a written answer, asking the minister to respond properly and in detail to Sir Bob?

Many thanks.

Bellingham is a member of Agent Cameron’s “Torah” party and was recently axed from his junior minister post at the Foreign Office. Let us see if he is prepared to pursue the truth about Israel’s nukes and coax it into the public domain.

Of course, our Muslim friends should prod their own MPs to table similar questions.

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