Drop Site News reports: “A set of classified U.S. intelligence documents purporting to show information about Israel’s plans to strike in Iran have been confirmed as authentic in a report by CNN.” They highlight: “The documents … make reference to Israel’s unacknowledged nuclear program.” The U.S. government has refused to acknowledge the existence of Israel’s nuclear weapons.
TERRY LODGE, tjlodge50@yahoo.com, @VFPNational
Lodge is human rights counsel for Veterans for Peace. The group earlier this year sent a letter to the Biden administration: “The nation of Israel possesses a large nuclear weapons program. It is illegal under international law for Israel to have them. Because Israel has nuclear weapons and has tested them in the past … [it is] completely disqualified from receiving any military aid and related assistance from the United States. The U.S. president has no lawful discretion whatsoever to allow any military assistance of any form to be delivered to Israel.” The letter breaks down Israel’s violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the Symington-Glenn Amendments.
The letter also notes: “In the 1980’s, before he was Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly was directly involved in an Israeli international smuggling ring that illegally acquired 800 nuclear weapons triggers from a U.S. firm.” See PDF of the 11-page letter.
In 2021, Grant Smith wrote to members of “The Squad” and other members of Congress who have been critical of Israel: “I believe your coalition has far more influence on the matter of foreign aid than it may realize. In 2016 and 2017 we sued the administration(s) over violations of the Arms Export Control Act, but did not prevail for lack of standing. Your coalition does not have such issues.” Smith said today: “But no member of Congress has taken up this issue — or even mentioned Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal.” See IPA news release: “Could Congress Cut off Funding to Israel by Acknowledging its Nuclear Weapons?”
Successive U.S. administrations have effectively tried to get around the law by refusing to acknowledge that Israel has nuclear weapons, see questioning at State Department and analysis by Sam Husseini.