Nuclear
weapons remain a key issue governing political rhetoric in the Middle
East. They were the reason given by the United States for 12 year-long
sanctions that suffocated Iraq, and for a war that eventually toppled
an ailing regime. A fact that often escapes observers, however, is
that a more pressing nuclear threat stemming from the Middle East does
not come from Iraq or Iran, but from Israel.
Experts
worldwide have estimated that Israel possesses up to 200 nuclear
warheads. Yet Israel has refused to sign the nuclear non-proliferation
treaty and has continually refused to allow international inspection
of its nuclear facilities. It is one of the few, if not the only state
that keeps its nuclear goliath in the closet.
