Declassified Papers Hint US Uranium May Have Ended Up In Israeli Arms 165
Lasrick (2629253) writes "Victor Gilinsky and Roger J. Mattson update their story on the NUMEC affair to take into account the recent release of hundreds of classified documents that shed additional light on the story. In the 1960s, the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation (NUMEC) was found to be missing about a 100 pounds of bomb-grade uranium. Based on available evidence, Gilinsky and Mattson are convinced that the material ended up in Israel nuclear bombs. The newly release documents add more to the story, and Gilinsky and Mattson are calling on President Obama to declassify the remainder of the file."
Isn't this story ancient? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Someone call Ben Affleck (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes there's been official disclosure from the South African end.
No need to make a big deal about apartheid. We still put up with Israel doing it.
Re:Figures (Score:4, Insightful)
The Israelis would use a nuclear bomb as a last resort to keep what they have, a tiny strip of land.
Their adversaries and a few other rogue states and groups are not above using a nuclear bomb to get what they want, a tiny strip of land or even the whole western world.
Re:This article is Antisemitic, please delete (Score:5, Insightful)
The worst part of debating Israeli issues on the internet?
I have no idea whether this guy is kidding.
Good for them. (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually, I have two oppinions on this matter
1.) if a country is in possession of nuclear weapons,
they should join the nuke arms test & proliferation ban
Israel should join this treaty.
No army and nobody should own nuclear weapons.
And Mordechai Vanunu should be given the chance to go exile.
2.) Israel is a special case
a.) The country is actually nothing more than an airstrip, from north to south it's approx. 200km wide. If aggressors try to invade it's a really short walk.
Or just four thermonuclear devices to split a country.
b.) Israel would never use the nuclear bomb as a first strike option. This can be seen as it never officially admitted having nukes, but everybody knew. It's a much critized politic style - but it worked - and choses nukes as a means of mutually assured destruction or retaliation.
So actually I'm ok with Israel having nuclear weapons and german fuel cell drivin subs to launch them.
But to be clear on the other point when it comes to Israel:
I'm absolutely not ok with the politics Israel undertakes towards the palestineans, the actual worst enemy for peace in Israel( In my count Gaza and west jordan area are part of Israel) is the whole politics of blame and shame.
Re:Figures (Score:4, Insightful)
I agree that the Israelis would only use the bomb as a last resort - just don't see how they could do that and still keep their strip of land. Besides, if the issue is preventing Israel's enemies from getting their own nukes, and one of the primary reasons those enemies can cite for pursuing them is "Israel has them, so why can't we", then the best way to end the middle east arms race would be for israel to give up its nukes in exchange for a US promise to retaliate against any nuclear strike against them.
Perhaps Israel didn't trust the US as an ally in the 60's, but they have no other reliable friends now - so they better start trusting us.
Re:Figures (Score:3, Insightful)
Why bother trusting the US when they can simply use AIPAC to bribe our representatives into doing what benefits them?
In the Ukraine... (Score:4, Insightful)
...we're seeing that, when push comes to shove and certain people are in charge, the "promise" of the United States doesn't mean squat [wikipedia.org].
Nukes in the hand are worth an infinite number of promises and strongly-worded letters...
Re:Isn't this story ancient? (Score:2, Insightful)
We "knew" they had WMD's because they used poison gas on their Kurds, just like the Syrians did.
Do remember that poison gas is a WMD, and under US policy is treated exactly the same way as nuclear weapons.
Re:Figures (Score:3, Insightful)
Their adversaries and a few other rogue states and groups are not above using a nuclear bomb to get what they want, a tiny strip of land or even the whole western world.
The construction of this statement is priceless if not vague, inaccurate and worthless. The intersection of adversaries of Israel and lunatics particularly is quite laughable.
Re:Good for them. (Score:2, Insightful)
Look up the Samson option. Israel plans on nuking every major European city they can if Israel falls. They are holding us hostage and forcing us to support their government.
An ideal that is good shouldn't require the threat of annihilation just to get others to go along with it.
Re:Good for them. (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm absolutely not ok with the politics Israel undertakes towards the palestineans, the actual worst enemy for peace in Israel( In my count Gaza and west jordan area are part of Israel) is the whole politics of blame and shame.
That's nice and all, but maybe you can get the palestinian's government to explain why they're so pro-genocide in their teachings. With the various terrorist organizations, which were elected actively supporting said teachings, and taking money from the countries in the region to wage a proxy war. And while you're at it, perhaps you can explain why the BDS movement is so anti-Israeli while said organizations actually hire and pay said palestinians not only a good wage, but an amazing wage. All the while there are arab, druze, and palestinians in the Knesset. Let's be realistic, between the two? I'll back Israel every time.
Re:This article is Antisemitic, please delete (Score:0, Insightful)
Jokes aside, You are implying that Israelis and Jews use the "antisemitic" card too often.
Can you actually prove that? Perhaps anti-Semitism is a prolific as it was back in the 1930s, yet for some reason, you rather mock the ones that point it out?
Re:Good for them. (Score:5, Insightful)
I think it might be because at the start of every peace negotiation, Israel announces a new illegal settlement project in the West Bank.
Gaza and the West Bank are basically open air prisons. Do the prisons in the US make prisoners a better fit for society, or merely drive them further into anti-social lifestyles?
Every new building in the West Bank needs almost impossible to get Israeli approval. Those who dare to build houses without approval get there structured knocked down by armored bulldozers.
Gaza has a hard time getting raw materials shipped in to build buildings. Any farming they do will probably be destroyed by Israeli armed forces.
Now let me ask you, if someone urinated on your face and you weren't into that, would you be grateful for them to do it, or will it piss you off? Asking him to stop just makes him aim it closer to your eyes. His buddies come up and beat the shit out of you if you dare strike back. They then join in the urination party. This is the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.
Re:Good for them. (Score:5, Insightful)
I tried to look up some cases of Palestinians destroying factories but I couldn't find any in the Google search results. It consisted mostly of Israelis destroying Palestinian factories and farms, or a Palestinian concrete factory that recycled rubble from bombed out structures from Israeli raids. Please enlighten me with some links.
I took a look at the statistics a while back and Israelis are more likely to die from an automotive accident on their Israeli-only highways that web throughout the West Bank than from any Palestinian attack.
I've looked at the structures that Palestinians like to construct. Thick walls, preferably earthbound if possible. Now while one might think that this is a horrible crime, it is the only way to build a structure that doesn't require air conditioning in the region. Air conditioners typically require electricity and it isn't like the Palestinians can count on Israelis to not bomb out their infrastructure.
"Hmm, they bulldozed my house for the fifth time. Perhaps I should build something that's a bit more costly for them to destroy this time." Unfortunately they don't realize that the Israeli military is subsidized by the American and German tax payers and thus won't stop the Israelis from just using a bunker buster missile without second thought. They just need to say it was a weapons factory or a terrorist's bunker and all is forgiven.
If I had driven one of my neighbors to do all of that, I'd deeply reflect on my own actions and wonder if building my house right in his front yard and then bulldozing his down was the best course of action.
Re:Good for them. (Score:5, Insightful)
That's nice and all, but maybe you can get the palestinian's government to explain why they're so pro-genocide in their teachings. With the various terrorist organizations, which were elected actively supporting said teachings, and taking money from the countries in the region to wage a proxy war.
Absolutely.
Israel is actively occupying Palestine and stealing the Palestinian's land.
Look at the racism that occurs against Hispanics in the US due to them taking some crappy jobs. Is it a surprise that a nation that's been constantly losing it's land to self-identified Zionists for over 100 years is going to end up really antisemitic? Having Palestinians spontaneously turn into a nation of Ghandis isn't a realistic prerequisite for peace in the middle east.