UK Government refuses to reveal assessment of Israel's nuclear weapons

The National

5 hours ago

Labour ministers have repeatedly declined to address Israel's secret stockpile of nuclear weaponry – obtained outwith the international Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – even after the nation launched strikes on Iran's nuclear sites on June 13.
Israel's strikes were followed by the US bombing further Iranian nuclear sites in a bid to stop the country obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Assessments from the US and International Atomic Energy Agency earlier in the year concluded that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, and the country had been due to enter talks on its nuclear program, before the Israeli attacks.
At Westminster on Tuesday, Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer was asked if he could share the UK Government assessment of 'Israel's stockpile of nuclear weapons'.
Falconer flatly refused, saying MPs 'will understand why I wouldn't comment on these issues from the despatch box'.
The previous day, Foreign Secretary David Lammy also declined to address Israel's nuclear weapons, but implied he knew about them.
In response to a question from former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Lammy said: 'I don't want to go back to the days of Mordechai Vanunu – but I would just remind him Israel is not threatening its neighbours with nuclear weapons.
"It's Iran, it's Iran that we must stop at this time.'
Archive image, broadcast on Israeli TV in 2005, of Israel's secret Dimona nuclear research facilityVanunu was a whistleblower who told the press about Israel's secret nuclear weapons program in the 1980s. He was kidnapped from Italy and imprisoned in Israel for treason for revealing the details of the program.
Estimates today say that Israel controls between 80 and 200 nuclear warheads. However, the country has never formally acknowledged them and never allowed international inspectors to view the facilities.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Middle East Minister Falconer was pushed on the UK's involvement with Israel's operations in Palestine.
Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman, who has backed Corbyn's calls for a full public inquiry into the UK Government's role in Gaza, said: 'The war criminals of Benjamin Netanyahu's government are carrying out the most vile human rights abuse and genocide.
'At the same time, the UK carries out the training of Israeli military personnel, facilitates almost daily spy flights that provide intelligence, and there is a continued exporting of military equipment to Israel.
READ MORE: Labour see 'massive increase' in UK military equipment sent to Israel
'With all of that, I ask the minister if the Government will support an independent public inquiry into UK involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza?'
Falconer said: 'I think it's important to be focused on the facts at issue.
'We're not supporting spy flights. We have a Limited presence in order to try and find hostages in Gaza for reasons that the whole House would understand and support.
'There are less than 10 IDF personnel receiving any training in the UK, and that training is academic and non-military in its nature.
'We are not arming Israel's war in Gaza. We categorically do not export any bombs or ammunition for use in military operations in Gaza.'
He added that while the Government 'welcomes scrutiny', it would not support a full public inquiry.
Falconer (above) also announced that a second evacuation flight had been arranged for Britons in Israel.
He told MPs the first RAF flight took place on Monday 'and I can confirm to the House now that we will fly another today'.
'We are providing support and advice to more than 1000 British nationals as they seek to leave the region by land and air," he added.
'We have deployed teams to Israel, Cyprus, Egypt and Jordan.'