WASHINGTON, DC – A group of Democrats in the US Congress has called on the State Department to break the US government’s longstanding silence on Israel’s nuclear capabilities.
In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Democrats cited the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran as a reason why further clarification is urgently needed.
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Israel is believed to have had nuclear weapons since the 1960s, but “maintains a policy of nuclear opacity and has never officially confirmed the existence of a nuclear weapons program or arsenal,” according to the Washington, D.C.-based Nuclear Threat Initiative.
The White House has also long maintained ambiguity on the issue, despite glancing acknowledgments from several people. Next, members of Congress launched several coordinated public efforts to improve 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 risks of escalation by the parties to the conflict, and the administration’s plans and contingencies for such a scenario,” the letter, signed by 30 members of Congress, said. “We do not believe we received that information.”
“Official ambiguous policies regarding the nuclear capabilities of the parties to this conflict make a coherent non-proliferation policy in the Middle East impossible,” the letter said, adding that “for Iran, Saudi Arabia, and all other states in the region, decisions will be made based on perceptions of the capabilities of their neighbors.”
What does the letter ask for?
In a letter dated May 4, the lawmakers specifically asked Rubio what kind of nuclear weapons capabilities Israel has, as well as clear information about warheads and launchers.
They specifically focused on the Negev Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, long believed to be the core of Israel’s nuclear program.
“Does Israel currently have enrichment capacity and at what level?” they asked, seeking details about both fissile material and plutonium production.
The letter also asked whether Israel, which is not party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), has clearly outlined to the United States its “nuclear doctrine, red lines, or thresholds for nuclear use in the context of the current conflict with Iran.”
“Has the administration received a commitment from Israel not to use nuclear weapons?”
“During the recent Iran conflict or other conflicts, were there any indications that Israel was planning to use or deploy nuclear weapons?”
What do we know about Israel’s nuclear program?
Several former U.S. officials, Israeli whistleblowers, and unclassified U.S. intelligence documents have shed light on Israel’s alleged nuclear program for decades.
Documents show that in 1968, the CIA told then-U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson that Israel had developed or had the ability to develop nuclear weapons. President Richard Nixon then reportedly agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir not to allow Israel to possess or test nuclear weapons in exchange for an end to Washington’s surveillance pressure.
Mordechai Vanunu, an Israeli nuclear engineer turned whistleblower, leaked evidence from the Negev Nuclear Research Center to Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper in a landmark 1968 report.
“The public record strongly and consistently supports the conclusion that Israel possesses nuclear weapons,” the U.S. lawmakers wrote in a letter to Rubio. It pointed to the 1974 U.S. Special National Intelligence Estimate and several statements by U.S. and Israeli officials.
The U.S. officials include former defense secretary candidate Robert Gates, who in 2006 testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee listed Israel as one of the world’s “nuclear-weapon states.”
The Nuclear Threat Initiative estimates that Israel has 90 nuclear warheads, a stockpile of 750 to 1,110 kg (1,700 to 2,400 pounds) of plutonium, six nuclear-capable submarines, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles with a range of 4,800 to 6,500 km (3,000 to 4,000 miles).
What does that letter mean?
Individual members of Congress have previously called for greater transparency regarding Israel’s nuclear weapons. For example, Congressman James McGovern referred to Israel as a nuclear state in a 2019 resolution.
Still, concerted Congressional pressure on US presidential administrations is extremely rare.
The letter comes as lawmakers of both parties increasingly question the close relationship between the United States and Israel amid the massacres in the Gaza Strip and the United States and Israel’s war against Iran.
In April, 40 Democratic senators voted in favor of a bill to block the sale of military bulldozers to Israel. The measure failed, but supporters hailed the growing pressure within the Democratic Party as “historic.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has said stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons is a key goal of the war. The Iranian government has long denied seeking such weapons.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, Josh Leubner, policy director of the Middle East Understanding Policy Project, praised the voices of lawmakers seeking clarity about Israel’s nuclear weapons program.
“This effort takes place against the backdrop of the United States and Israel’s war of aggression against Iran. One of President Trump’s goals for ending this war includes negotiating the lifting of sanctions against Iran in exchange for Iran’s promise not to develop nuclear weapons,” Leubner said.
“Members of Congress are right to ask why Israel is given a free pass to develop nuclear weapons when we are trying to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,” he said.
