Olmert's nuclear remark spurs damage control bid

A bizarre row has broken out in Israel over comments by Ehud Olmert that appear to confirm that Israel has nuclear weapons, which has led to a series of calls for his resignation.

Olmert said:

"We have never threatened any nation with annihilation. Iran, openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Can you say that this is the same level, when they are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?"

I'm not quite sure what exactly the fuss is about as we all know Israel is a nuclear power, so why do we have to participate in this silly game of nuclear ambiguity? I suppose it's done to prevent the charge of hypocrisy against the US as it demands that Iran and North Korea desist from joining the nuclear club, but - with Bush threatening to build a new range of bunker busting nuclear weapons - the charge of hypocrisy is valid with or without Israel's nuclear arsenal.

Olmert's staff rushed to correct what he had said with a series of misleading statements:

The prime minister "listed Israel among the list of responsible nations, and not the list of nations which have nuclear weapons," the Prime Minister's Office was quoted by Israel Radio as saying.

Reiterating Israel's traditional policy of "nuclear ambiguity," aides to the prime minister stressed that "The prime minister said that Israel will not be the first nation in the region to arm itself with nuclear weapons."

That is simply a bare faced lie. Not only in that this was obviously not what he said, but it asks the world to believe that Israel does not possess nuclear weapons. I, for one, don't buy that.

Olmert's opponents were quick to leap on this slip of the tongue as a reason for his removal from office.

MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) called on Olmert to resign following "a series of problematic slips of the tongue in matters of defense."

According to Steinitz, "the terrible statement made in Germany undermines 50 years of Israel's policy of ambiguity, and joins the irresponsible slips of the tongue such as the announcement regarding the fate of the abducted soldiers in Lebanon. A prime minister who is unable to control his statements on sensitive matters of security, must quit."

Meretz chairman, MK Yossi Beilin said that "the fantastic statement of the Prime Minister on the nuclear issue reflects the carelessness ... and raises serious doubts whether this is a person worthy of serving as prime minister."

I, personally, have thought Olmert unfit for the office of Israeli Prime Minister since his disastrous invasion of Lebanon exposed the limits of Israel's military muscle and would have thought the fact that he has so far failed to secure the release of three captured soldiers would figure much higher up any list of reasons for why he must step down than any slip of the tongue regarding a nuclear capacity that we all know Israel possesses.

Perhaps his opponents are now simply looking for any reason possible to have him removed from office.

There are many valid reasons as to why the Israelis should decide that Olmert is not fit to be their Prime Minister, but surely telling the truth is not one of them?

Click title for full article.

tag: Israel, Olmert, non proliferation treaty, prisoner release