politics
Democrats in Congress Urge State Department to Disclose Information on Israel's Nuclear Capabilities
A group of Democrats in Congress sent a letter to the State Department on May 4 calling for an end to the longstanding U.S. policy of ambiguity regarding Israel's nuclear program. The letter cites the ongoing conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran as the reason greater clarity is needed.
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A group of Democrats in the United States Congress have called on the State Department to break the U.S. government’s longstanding silence on Israel’s nuclear capabilities. In a letter sent to the secretary of state, the lawmakers pointed to the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran as the reason more clarity is urgently needed.
While Israel is believed to have possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s, it maintains a policy of nuclear opacity and has never officially confirmed the existence of its nuclear weapons program and arsenal, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
The White House has also long maintained ambiguity on the issue, despite a handful of glancing admissions. Lawmakers in Congress have launched several coordinated public efforts for greater transparency amid decades of bipartisan support for Israel.
"Congress has a constitutional responsibility to be fully informed about the nuclear balance in the Middle East, the risk of escalation by any party to this conflict, and the administration’s planning and contingencies for such scenarios," the letter, signed by 30 members of Congress, said.
The lawmakers particularly focused on the Negev Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, long believed to be the core of Israel’s nuclear programme. The letter asked whether Israel possesses enrichment capabilities and at what level, appealing for details on both fissile material and plutonium production.
It also inquired whether Israel, which is not a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, has articulated to the U.S. any nuclear doctrine, red lines, or thresholds for nuclear use in the context of the current conflict with Iran.
The letter further asked if the administration has received any assurances from Israel that nuclear weapons will not be used and whether there have been any indications of Israel planning to use or deploy nuclear weapons during the recent Iran conflict or during other conflicts.
