Israel’s Nuclear Programme

Abstract

Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, but has never confirmed the existence of its nuclear program. Historians have for a long time largely relied on limited access to U.S. government documents and on the oral histories of those with inside knowledge of Israel’s nuclear program. However lately declassified documents demonstrated a semi-official recognition by the US Department of Defense that Israel a de facto acknowledgement by the US as a nuclear power. While the documents confirm what is already known regarding Israel’s nuclear arsenal, the political implications are potentially far-reaching, particularly in relation to Israeli’s negative attitude to Iran’s alleged nuclear program. Israel nuclear program is an essential part of long-term Israeli national security strategy and a security doctrine. National security has been at the forefront of the Israeli experience for seven decades, with threats ranging from terrorism, to vast missile arsenals, and even potential existential nuclear dangers. Israel state’s national security doctrine, in its broadest sense intended to protect and promote the state’s national security interests. One of the main features of this nuclear program development is the specifically nuclear relationship between Israel and US which acting as official guarantor of Israel security and consider it as the main recipient of American protection. The aim of this article is to describe and analyze nuclear strategy’s concept from a historical perspective-that is, to trace its evolution. Israel has long enforced a policy of opacity with regards to its nuclear program even though its existence is a common knowledge throughout the world. Today Israel considers Iran as the main geopolitical enemy. Iran acquires a nuclear weapon, it would be a “game changer” in the region and spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Israel faces a threat to its national interest in that Iran could become a greater relative regional power. Israel has been particularly outspoken in the opposition to the JCPoA signed in 2015 as it concern was that even if Iran acts rationally according to realist understandings of national interest, it still may not be receptive to diplomatic efforts to stop its nuclear program.

Keywords

• israel national security concept
• nuclear doctrine
• nuclear deterrence
• policy of opacity
• strategy
• foreign policy