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| Fig. 1: The Coat of Arms of the city of Dimona. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
The State of Israel was officially declared in 1948. Immediately following its establishment, David Ben Gurion aimed to begin the development of Israel's nuclear program. In 1948, Ben Gurion wrote in a pamphlet to the new IDF recruits, "We are living in an age of scientific revolutions, an era that discloses the atom, its miraculous composition and the tremendous power hidden in it". [1] Two years following the establishment of the State, at a Knesset meeting, Ben Gurion announced: "I am confident, based not only on what I heard today, that our science can provide us with the weapons that are needed to deter our enemies from waging war against us. I am confident that science is able to provide us with the weapon that will secure the peace, and deter our enemies". [1] In 1952, Israel established the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, and was led by Ernst David Bergmann. Historian Avner Cohen argued that the desire for a nuclear bomb in Israel was strongly correlated with the Holocaust. He argued that, "The commitment never again means that in order to prevent another Auschwitz, we must be in position to threaten explicitly, implicitly, to have the capability to do what was done in Hiroshima. That will prevent or deter another Auschwitz". [2]
In order to develop the bomb, Israel felt that international help would provide the smoothest route towards obtaining nuclear weapons. The French proved to be Israel's strongest ally and in 1957, France began building a 24 megawatt nuclear reactor for Israel. This remained secret to avoid the French being blacklisted by Arab countries. The French also helped with the construction of Israel's nuclear power plant in Dimona. Dimona was chosen as the headquarters of the Negev Nuclear Research Center because of its isolation in the desert and availability of housing. [3] At one point, there were over 2,500 French workers secretly living in Dimona. [2] Dimona's coat of arms can be seen in Fig. 1.
In 1958, American U-2 spy planes confirmed the existence of Israel's Dimona nuclear complex. In 1960, a CIA report stated that: "The secrecy and deception surrounding the undertaking [at Dimona] suggest that it is intended at least in part for the production of weapon-grade plutonium." In May 1961, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) sent inspectors to Dimona, but concluded that the site was conceived as a means for gaining experience in construction of a nuclear facility which would prepare them for nuclear power in the long run. [2]
It was only until 1986, when Mordechai Vanau revealed pictures of Israel's nuclear program, that the world got confirmation that Israel was in fact developing a nuclear bomb. [4] Vanunu confirmed the existence of plutonium extraction technology, as well as a 26 megawatt reactor. He was sentenced to eighteen years in prison by Isrel. [2]
Israel has never confirmed or denied the existence of its nuclear program, but President Jimmy Carter estimated in 2008 that Israel probably had a minimum of 150 weapons in its arsenal. [5]
Since 1995, the United Nations has attempted to make Israel sign the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, which calls for establishment by regional parties of a Middle East zone free of weapons of nuclear and all other related weapons of mass destruction. [6] Israel has not signed this treaty. Israel argues that having nuclear weapons, which it does not confirm or deny, is not nearly the biggest threat to stability in the Middle East.
Countries in the NPT have still tried to urge countries to adhere to its guidelines. In 2009, the General Assembly passed a resolution asking countries that are not part of the treaty to express support for a nuclear free Middle East. [6]
The Begin Doctrine, which was enunciated in 1981 following Israel's attack on Iraq's nuclear reactor Osirak, established Israel's commitment to ensuring that its enemies do not acquire nuclear weapons. In accordance with this doctrine, Israel conducted an airstrike on Syria's reactor in 2007. [1] A majority of Israel's policy in the last ten years has revolved around preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
While security was Israel's motivating factor in establishing Israel's nuclear program, Israel has recently focused on using nuclear energy for renewable energy and water desalination. [4] Given Israel's technological talent, there exists potential for great breakthroughs in the development of nuclear technologies that could positively impact our world.
Israel also makes a good point with its refusal to acknowledge its nuclear weapons and sign the NPT. The problems that are killing thousands of people in the Middle East every year do not have much to do with Israel's nuclear weapons. To solve the problems in the region, the world should not spend so much energy focusing on Israel's nuclear program.
© Eddie Mattout. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] A. Cohen, Israel and the Bomb (Columbia University Press, 1999).
[2] A. Cohen, The Worst-Kept Secret: Israel's Bargain with the Bomb (Columbia University Press, 2010).
[3] S. Hersh, The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy (Random House, 1991).
[4] G. Kornberg, "Israeli Nuclear," Physics 241, Stanford University, Winter 2017.
[5] "Israel 'Has 150 Nuclear Weapons'," BBC News, 25 May 08.
[6] "Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,'' International Atomic Energy Agency, INFCIRC/140, April 1970.
