A secret that everyone knows, You know the story of Israel’s possession of its nuclear arsenal

In the world of international politics, some secrets are not well kept, but recognition remains elusive. One of these mysteries is the story of Israel's nuclear arsenal.

Following statements by Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu in which he called for dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip, Palestine demanded that the International Atomic Energy Agency take measures to “neutralize” Israeli threats to use nuclear weapons against Palestinians in the Strip.

In a letter sent to the Director General of Atomic Energy, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad al-Maliki, considered Eliyahu’s statements “completely consistent with the prevailing discourse in Israel, and that it constitutes an official recognition that Israel possesses nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.”

Regarding the hypothesis that Israel possesses nuclear weapons and its refusal to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said : “Israel currently possesses nuclear weapons, but does not acknowledge it, because it takes advantage of lying well.” While the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Israeli minister’s statements raise a number of questions, most notably: “Does Israel possess nuclear weapons?” “If that were the case, where are the International Atomic Energy Agency and the international nuclear inspectors?”

The origin of the story

According to the American New York Times , three men launched the Israeli nuclear project: the country's political leader, its chief scientist, and its CEO. Ben-Gurion believed that Israeli scholars could provide the ultimate solution to Israel's security problem. Ernst David Bergmann, an organic chemist, taught Ben-Gurion on nuclear matters for many years. While Shimon Peres took advantage of the international opportunity to turn the dream into reality.

The turning point came in the late 1950s when Israel entered into a secret alliance with France. This cooperation laid the foundation for the Israeli nuclear program. France provided Israel with the necessary technological assistance and expertise, while Israel, in return, provided France with agricultural and military aid.

Accordingly, the Negev Nuclear Research Center, known as the Dimona facility, became the center of Israel's nuclear endeavors. Construction began in the early 1960s, and by 1964 the facility was operational. The secrecy surrounding the Dimona reactor raised doubts about Israel's nuclear ambitions. Although Israeli officials maintain a policy of ambiguity, the international community has long doubted the reality of the Dimona facility.

Using technology and materials provided by friendly powers or stolen by a secret network of agents, Israel has been able to assemble an entire underground nuclear arsenal – now estimated at about 90 warheads, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and it also tested a nuclear bomb nearly For half a century, with minimal international outrage, or even much public awareness of what it was doing, according to The Guardian .

An open secret

According to the British newspaper, Israel has been stealing nuclear secrets and secretly making bombs since the 1950s. Western governments, including Britain and the United States, turn a blind eye. Although Israel has never officially confirmed that it possesses nuclear weapons, the ambiguity has not prevented other countries from acknowledging the reality.

Despite the fact that the Israeli nuclear program has remained an open secret since it was revealed by disgruntled technician Mordechai Vanunu in 1986 when he spoke about the truth about the Dimona reactor to the Sunday Times , the official Israeli position has never confirmed or denied its existence.

Also several years ago, a treasure trove of handwritten notes in Hebrew surfaced, apparently containing secret excerpts from Israel's nuclear history. An undisclosed source gave Israeli historian Adam Raz — author of two Hebrew-language books on Israel's nuclear history — an envelope filled with handwritten notes, letters and protocols, all related to Israel's nuclear program in the 1960s and 1970s, according to the Wilson Center .

"Samson's Secret"

The policy of ambiguity, or the “Samson Option,” as it is colloquially known in Israel, refers to Israel's deliberate ambiguity regarding its nuclear capabilities. The term, named after the biblical figure Samson, indicates that Israel would use its nuclear weapons as a last resort if faced with an existential threat. Deliberate ambiguity allows Israel to deter potential adversaries without explicitly acknowledging its nuclear arsenal.

The Atlantic previously reported on the policy of not publicly confirming what one researcher once described as one of the world's "worst kept secrets" dating back to a political deal between the United States and Israel in the late 1960s. The result was to help Israel maintain a privileged military position in the Middle East.

It is noteworthy that Israel is not a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, a fact that has raised fears and apprehensions around the world. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, calls for the disarmament of nuclear-armed states.

Tens of thousands participate in a pro-Palestinian march in London

Thousands took to the streets of the British capital, London, on Saturday, in support of Gaza and to demand a “permanent” ceasefire in the Strip amid a temporary humanitarian truce.

The huge crowd marched from Hyde Park to Parliament Square, which was filled with Palestinian flags and chants of “Stop the war on Gaza” and “Free Palestine.”

The demonstrators called on the British government and its politicians to end support for Israel and call for an immediate ceasefire and an extension of the humanitarian truce in Gaza.

More than 150,000 people are expected to participate in 3 separate demonstrations as London prepares for a new weekend of protests.

About 1,500 police officers are on duty, including 500 outside London, with Arabic-speaking officers deployed to monitor hate speech in the crowd, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”.

Despite the humanitarian truce that entered into force yesterday morning, Friday, the Israeli army continued its raids and arrests in various cities and towns of the occupied West Bank.