Israel krijgt kans aan Non-Proliferation tafel met gegarandeerde slotverklaring

[Cees Binkhorst]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Dus er moet een nieuwe organisdatie komen, waarin ook een plaats is voor
de landen die de Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty NIET hebben getekend.
Enige probleem: Israel heeft géén kernbom, althans ze zeggen het niet.
Maar het slot beloofde toch een verrassing: 'Although organizers have no
control over what their guests will say, they have control over the
wording of the final statement, which could be drafted in consultation
with Israeli officials to prevent any surprise on Jerusalem's part.'

Groet / Cees

Israel missing a chance at nuclear global legitimacy
By Avner Cohen - Last update - 02:07 11/04/2010
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1162084.html

The Israeli prime minister's participation in the nuclear conference
organized by U.S. President Barack Obama would have had immense
importance. On a symbolic level, it's the first time Israel has been
invited as a regular guest to a select, prestigious nuclear forum,
effectively granting it recognition as a significant player in this very
delicate arena. And there could be no better opportunity for Israel to
win global legitimacy for its nuclear program. From a practical
perspective, it will be the first time the "good guys" will have
convened to address nuclear terrorism, perhaps the greatest
nuclear-related threat our generation has to confront.

When the idea of such a conference was first raised, organizers told
their Israeli colleagues that they would prevent a "nuclear ambush"
against Israel because it has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty. They said the summit's raison d'etre is establishing a new
nuclear forum, parallel to but not replacing the treaty, to include in
the global nuclear dialogue the three nuclear nations that have not
signed it - Israel, India and Pakistan. Although organizers have no
control over what their guests will say, they have control over the
wording of the final statement, which could be drafted in consultation
with Israeli officials to prevent any surprise on Jerusalem's part.

Benjamin Netanyahu's stunning decision not to take part in the summit,
purportedly after being told that a number of Arab leaders would vilify
Israel's nuclear policy and refusal to sign the treaty - a sort of Arab
ritual at international forums - is regrettable and does not serve
Israel's interest. The decision stems from fear, lack of trust and a
sense of isolation - all hallmarks of irrational decision-making.
Even if Arab leaders do raise the issues in question, no one will take
them seriously. Everyone knows that Israel, like India and Pakistan,
cannot for legal and political reasons join the treaty as nuclear
countries. And for their own strategic reasons, they can't join it as
non-nuclear states, either. For each, signing the treaty would be
perceived by its enemies as relinquishing key strategic advantages.

Let there be no doubt - Israel's policy of nuclear opacity is perceived
by many the world over, including its best friends, as a political
anachronism that is hard to swallow. To them, the problem is not the
question of Israel having nuclear capacity, but the country's refusal to
acknowledge it. The more Israel is viewed as a cautious, responsible
nuclear nation, the harder it is to accept its policy of opacity as
appropriate.

Opacity is widely perceived as concealment, an act of covering up a
secret that cannot be revealed to the public. Today, however, the secret
is known to all, so it's unclear why it must remain wrapped in
ambiguity. In a world demanding that Iran speak the truth over its
nuclear activity, ambiguity is seen as a bizarre relic from the past.

If Israel's prime minister feels he cannot uphold the country's opacity
policy at a relatively friendly international forum, it seems this
policy is in real trouble. If he is worrying about stumbling into a
nuclear ambush and cannot rely on understandings on nuclear issues
reached with the U.S. government, it seems Israel's diplomatic crisis
with Washington is much deeper than we had imagined.

The writer is the author of the book "Israel and the Bomb." His
forthcoming book, "The Worst-Kept Secret," will be published in the
United States in September.

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