TruthNews

Israel Singled Out by Concluding Resolution at Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Conference

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, 31 May 2010

The US has assured Israel of continued support for its nuclear posture after the closing statement from the month-long review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on Friday singled out Israel as a target for disarmament.

The four-week gathering of the 189 NPT signatory nations concluded with a detailed plan of steps for making the Middle East a "nuclear weapons free zone," including a proposal to hold a special meeting in 2012 aimed at banning atomic weapons from the region. The conference statement called on Israel to join the NPT and urged it to open its facilities to inspection, but made no mention of Iran's controversial nuclear program.

"This resolution is deeply flawed and hypocritical," said a statement from the Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "It singles out Israel, the Middle East’s only true democracy and the only country threatened with annihilation. Yet the terrorist regime in Iran, which is racing to develop nuclear weapons and openly threatens to wipe Israel off the map, is not even mentioned in the resolution. That is why the resolution adopted by the NPT Review Conference not only fails to advance regional security but actually sets it back."

"We strongly oppose efforts to single out Israel, and will oppose actions that jeopardize Israel’s national security," concurred US President Barack Obama on Saturday.

Other Administration officials, including National Security Advisor General James Jones, denounced the resolution for failing to mention Iran and hinted that unless it was changed no further action on the NPT conference’s recommendations would be taken. US officials added that the Middle East could not be declared WMD-free until there was broad Arab-Israeli peace and Iran curbed its nuclear program.

"The political symbolism of mentioning Israel in this way is very destructive," said Gary Samore, who oversees policy on weapons of mass destruction at the White House. US officials also denied entering into a deal with Egypt and other Arab states on the WMD-free zone.

These comments came despite Obama’s generally supportive approach to the NPT Conference and its resulting resolution.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to discuss the NPT resolution with Obama during his visit to Washington on Tuesday, but that leg of his North American itinerary has been cancelled due to the Gaza flotilla crisis.

An aide traveling with Netanyahu in Canada on Sunday revealed Israel was recently "promised [by Washington] that there would be no resolutions adopted at the UN that would hurt the vital interests of Israel. "Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received unequivocal assurances that included significant upgrade of Israel's strategic and deterrent capabilities in a personal message conveyed by President Obama," the official said.

Meanwhile, The Sunday Times (of London) reported yesterday that the Israeli Navy is planning to permanently station in the Persian Gulf one of its Dolphin class German-made submarines capable of firing nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, as a deterrence against an attack from Iran. Although Israel has never confirmed or denied its possession of nuclear weapons, it is widely believed to have at least 200 warheads including cruise missiles mounted on its small submarine fleet.