Israel could share nuclear tech with Arab countries, atomic chief says

“Israel’s state of the art technology provides us with significant levels of knowledge and capabilities, which we are ready to share with others, of course under the IAEA umbrella.”

By World Israel News Staff

Addressing the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Moshe Edri, director-general of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, warned again about the Iranian nuclear threat.

“It is now clear that Iran conducted a military nuclear program, gaining technology and knowledge, aimed to produce elements for a nuclear weapon device. These activities took place in many undeclared sites, using various nuclear materials,” he said.

“In this regard, the Iranian nuclear weapon program has been under the investigation of the Agency for many years.

“Iran has continuously failed to provide credible explanations, or clarifications, regarding the nature of these past activities, and continues to deceive the Agency, and the international community concerning its clandestine nuclear activities.

“The recent Board of Governors resolution, condemning Iran’s lack of cooperation with the Agency, and long overdue open questions, reflects the growing international concerns regarding Iran’s ill conduct.

“Moreover, Iran continues to develop, test and deploy long range ballistic missiles, in direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and supports terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East. Iran, obtaining nuclear weapons, is not an option that Israel, nor the world, can tolerate.”

Four out of five recognized cases of violations of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) are located in the Middle East — Iran, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, Edri noted.

“Syria is still in non-compliance with its safeguards obligations for over a decade. Syria built an undeclared, clandestine military nuclear reactor at Dair Alzour.

“Such concealment of illicit nuclear activities is a severe violation of Syria’s safeguards obligations. Syria’s non-compliance and lack of cooperation is extremely dangerous. The international community should stand behind the IAEA with a goal towards receiving clear answers from Syria once and for all,” Edri urged.

“Unfortunately, the ‘Arab Group’ continues with its endless efforts to abuse this professional forum for one reason only – to single out Israel,” he continued.

“Today, more than ever, nuclear security and safety, must be a top priority on a global level…

“The discussion on nuclear security is especially important today, in light of recent events in the Ukraine. Threats to nuclear security and safety have no boundaries.

“We must not ignore the repeated and explicit threats to attack Israel’s nuclear facilities by Iran and its proxies. Last year, Israel’s nuclear research centers were once again directly targeted. These threats require Israel to take action and continue to protect its nuclear facilities. Facilities which are upgraded and reinforced in line with IAEA Safety Standards in order to deal with any attack.

“Israel attaches great importance to IAEA objectives and mission,” Edri said. “Israel is an active Member State in a wide range of the Agency’s activities in the fields of safety, security, emergency response, and technical cooperation. Israel has committed its best people to these activities, and at the same time, benefits from the Agency’s knowledge and capabilities.

“We are hopeful that the new spirit in our region, as demonstrated in the “Abraham Accords,” will mark a path forward for meaningful direct dialogue within our region, including in the nuclear fora. Israel’s state of the art technology provides us with significant levels of knowledge and capabilities, which we are ready to share with others, of course under the IAEA umbrella.”

Abraham AccordsIAEAiran nuclear programIran nuclear threatIran proxiesIsraeli diplomacyIsraeli military technologyMoshe EdriSyria