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You know, Dan; just because something is believed to be common knowledge, there is absolutely nothing that compels Israel from either confirming or denying the beliefs of other nations.
Talk about worst kept secret---------------EVER!
AlertnetDec 7 (Reuters) - Robert Gates, the incoming U.S. secretary of defense, won plaudits in Washington this week for his candour on the Iraq war. Some Israelis were less pleased, however, to hear Gates mention with equal frankness what U.S. administrations have long avoided uttering in public -- that the Jewish state has the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal.
To be fair, it was pretty oblique.
During his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Gates speculated on why Iran might be seeking the means to build an atomic bomb. "They are surrounded by powers with nuclear weapons: Pakistan to their east, the Russians to the north, the Israelis to the west and us in the Persian Gulf," he said.
The statement led Israeli news bulletins, with some pundits suggesting that former CIA chief Gates may have breached a U.S. "don't ask, don't tell" policy dating back to the late 1960s.
"I haven't a clue why Gates made those remarks," Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a member of Israel's security cabinet, said in a radio interview.
A retired Israeli diplomat, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, called the testimony "quite unprecedented" and added: "I can only assume he (Gates) has yet to get to grips with the understandings that exist between us and the Americans."
What? Us? nuclear weapons? Says, who?
Some good background on Israel's nuke program. Did I say that? Nah!
You know, Dan; just because something is believed to be common knowledge, there is absolutely nothing that compels Israel from either confirming or denying the beliefs of other nations.
Wait, let me get this straight...
Israel neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weapons?
The world keeps getting dumber and dumber by the day, I swear.
I heard five nucular weapons could kill everyone on the planet!
Mileage varies.
And, DR, why is Israel obligated to even respond to such inquiries?
I never said they were. But if we were to use historical precedent, then yes they should.
When the US does everything in its power to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, compiles a list with every nuclear nation on the planet, then...
USA,China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Britain, NKorea (soon), Iran (soon), but we are going to omit Israel?
Seems foolish. Thus, the world is now dumber.
You forgot Poland.
(And France, on your official list; the evil atheist wine drinking surrender monkeys being the ones who helped Israel build its bombs in the first place. And 15-20 other states who possess the ability to quickly recons ute a nuclear program. Nonproliferation is foolishness, and it's unfortunate that there is so much hysteria about nukes around.)
I knew making the list I would miss obvious ones. Nice heads up.
I heard that the Canadians have a nationalized nuclear program available to all Canadian residents...
^ha ha
Yes, but have they threatened to wipe anyone off the face of the earth?
Better yet, have they threatened anyone, if they do have the weapons?
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