Nuclear Threat Increases In Middle East

Given the war on Gaza and as the 79^th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan approaches, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is pushing for more countries to sign the United Nations nuclear weapon ban treaty.

By Pip Hinman, Green Left

As Israel ramps up its threats on Iran, Syria and Lebanon the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons has never been so urgent.

Now, in the ninth month of its war on Gaza, Israel is boasting of its undeclared nuclear arsenal which, last year, was estimated at 90 warheads with fissile material stockpiles for about 200 weapons.

More recently, the chairperson of the Israel Aerospace Industries Workers’ Council told the Jerusalem Post that Israel has the means to deliver the warheads.

“If we understand that there is an existential danger here, and that Iran, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and all the countries of the Middle East decide that it is time to settle against us, I understand that we have the capabilities to use doomsday weapons,” Yair Katz said on June 29.

“Doomsday weapons” is a reference to nuclear weapons.