LONDON
A recent UK House of Commons research briefing reveals new attention on Israel’s secretive nuclear weapons program.
The report outlines decades of strategic silence, lack of treaty commitments, and minimal international pressure on Israel’s undeclared arsenal.
For decades, Israel has stood apart as a unique case in the global nuclear landscape—a nation widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, yet one that neither confirms nor denies their existence.
“Israel has a policy of ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying the existence of its nuclear weapons,” the report underlined.
Estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) suggest Israel holds 80 to 90 warheads, with fissile material stockpiled for as many as 200.
But without formal admission, there is no legal accountability, no international inspections, and little diplomatic pressure to disclose or disarm.
Dimona enigma: From energy to armament
At the heart of Israel’s covert nuclear effort lies the Dimona nuclear facility, originally constructed with French assistance in the late 1950s.
Publicly presented as a civilian reactor, Dimona’s true role was quickly questioned by experts and international observers.
“Dimona is thought to have produced enough plutonium for over 100 nuclear warheads,” the report said.
Inspections by American and international officials were misled through false walls and hidden elevators, while Israel reassured allies that its intentions were peaceful.
Yet intelligence leaks and whistleblower accounts told a very different story.
Vanunu: The insider who told the world
In 1986, Mordechai Vanunu, a technician at Dimona, blew the lid off the secret. He delivered photographic evidence and detailed testimony to The Sunday Times, confirming what many suspected but none could prove.
“The information he revealed is still considered the most detailed public account of Israel’s nuclear capability,” the report underlined.
Vanunu’s revelations came at a high personal cost.
Kidnapped by Mossad agents in Rome, he was smuggled back to Israel, tried in secret, and imprisoned for 18 years—11 of them in solitary confinement. His treatment sparked international condemnation and raised serious human rights concerns.
Diplomatic silence, Western complicity?
Despite overwhelming evidence and persistent international concern, Israel has faced little pressure from its Western allies. Unlike India, Pakistan, or North Korea, it remains shielded from the kind of scrutiny or sanctions typically aimed at nuclear-armed non-NPT states.
“Despite widespread knowledge of its capabilities, Israel is not subject to the same level of international scrutiny as other states.”
The UK has continued to sell military equipment to Israel while officially backing global disarmament efforts—a policy seen by critics as contradictory and selective.
Treaty Games: CTBT, NPT, and double flash
Israel signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996 but has not ratified it.
While it participates in some treaty-related activities, it retains the right to conduct nuclear tests.
In 1979, a mysterious “double flash” detected over the South Atlantic raised suspicions of a clandestine Israeli nuclear test, possibly in collaboration with apartheid-era South Africa. To this day, the incident remains unconfirmed—but not disproven.
“Many analysts believe Israel conducted an undeclared nuclear test in 1979,” the report underlined.
Efforts to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, led by Arab nations and backed by the UN, have consistently met Israeli resistance.
The Israeli position remains unchanged: such discussions must wait until a “comprehensive peace” is achieved—a precondition that effectively blocks negotiations.
“Israel has consistently voted against UN resolutions calling for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East,” the report said.
