Israel and Iran are not Nuclear Bedfellows

"I have spoken directly with over 30 presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers. I explained that there was no place to hold a discussion of this kind as long as the main problem in the Middle East is Iran’s efforts to arm itself with nuclear weapons and its clear declarations regarding its intention to destroy the State of Israel. I welcome the fact that the gap in Israel’s favor was significantly larger than the votes in previous years. I thank all those countries that supported Israel, especially the US, Australia and Canada. I thank the EU for voting as a single bloc in favor of Israel against the decision."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The IAEA General Assembly voted 61-43 this week, against forcing inspections of Israel’s nuclear reactor in Dimona. Egypt had submitted a proposal to the IAEA General Assembly that Israel be forced to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency inspection of its nuclear facilities. That proposal was supported by Iran, Syria, Iraq and Libya, for the IAEA's 59th General Conference.

Clearly, though Israel has never publicly admitted to its nuclear weapons, it is widely acknowledged that the ambiguity surrounding them represents a strategic defense policy.

Given the unambiguous nature of the hostility with which Israel is viewed throughout the Middle East, a country that has had numerous wars inflicted upon it by the collective Arab nations surrounding it, this move represented nothing but a political ploy, and a fairly transparent one at that. Countries like Egypt, Syria, Iran, Libya and Iraq are repressive tyrannies and failed nations. 

 

Obviously this move was associated with the Iranian nuclear deal; the suspicion with which the West holds Iran's nuclear file is not reflective of how Israel's facilities are considered.

 

The head of Israel's Atomic Energy Agency gave due notice to the IAEA General Assembly that attempting to force such inspections would have a deleterious effect: "If the resolution passes, it will only hurt the credibility of the IAEA by politicizing the organization and reducing its valuable resources. This debate has been forced upon the economic committee year after year and most of the member states have understood this after voting down these proposals three times in recent years", emphasized Ze'ev Snir, head of Israel's AEA.

 

There are occasions, even within the United Nations and its various arms when reason does occasionally prevail.