What to know about Israel's nuclear weapons program
The Federation of American Scientists and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, an independent international organization dedicated to researching arms control and disarmament, estimate that Israel has around 90 nuclear warheads.
Due to Israel's official stance of ambiguity regarding its nuclear program, the organizations note the difficulties in determining the extent of the country's nuclear capabilities.
"They are intentionally secretive about their nuclear capabilities and that's part of the policy that they follow," John Erath, senior policy director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said in a phone interview Wednesday.
He said that policy was likely in part to ensure Israel's "potential adversaries would not know what they can do in the event of a crisis."
How it began
Historical records suggest Israeli leaders had hoped to build a nuclear arsenal to help ensure the country's safety after it was founded in 1948 in the years after the Holocaust, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, an online encyclopedia published by the American foreign policy analyst Mitchell Bard's nonprofit organization American–Israeli Cooperative Enterprise.
In a July 1969 declassified memo to President Richard Nixon, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said that Israel had committed "not to be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Near East," when buying the U.S.' Phantom aircraft, though it has never been made clear precisely what that means.
Mordechai Vanunu, a former Israeli nuclear technician who worked at Israel's atomic reactor in Dimona in the Negev Desert in the late 1960s and early 1970s, sent shock waves around the world when he disclosed details and photographs of the reactor to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper.
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Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
BBC regrets not stopping Glastonbury livestream of Bob Vylan
LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Britain's BBC said it regretted not stopping the livestream of punk-rap duo Bob Vylan's set at Glastonbury after the performance included chants against the Israeli military, drawing condemnation from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The BBC has come under fire for allowing the performance to be shown live on Saturday as a Bob Vylan member led the crowd in chanting "death, death to the IDF," a reference to the Israel Defense Forces, following chants of "free, free Palestine." The BBC, which broadcasts the festival in southwest England, issued a warning on screen while the set was being streamed online, but said on Monday it should have gone further. The comments were "utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves," the national broadcaster said in a statement. "The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance," the BBC added. "We regret this did not happen." The BBC said it would look at its guidance around live events so that in future its teams were clear on what is acceptable content to be shown.
Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BBC chiefs 'should face charges' over Glastonbury... Outrage led by Keir Starmer grows after broadcast of vile 'death to Israeli soldiers' chants
BBC bosses should be prosecuted for broadcasting a vile anti-Semitic outburst at the Glastonbury festival, the Tory party said tonight. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the corporation 'appears to have broken the law' by transmitting a punk duo's calls for the deaths of Israeli soldiers. Top lawyer Lord Carlile said the BBC may have committed a criminal offence, while Sir Keir Starmer said the broadcaster had serious questions to answer. The growing backlash comes after the BBC live-streamed Bob Vylan's performance uninterrupted on its iPlayer site. It could now face an investigation into whether it has breached public-order laws. Such are the implications of the chants that the US State Department is also reportedly gearing up to revoke the band's visas ahead of a forthcoming tour. During Saturday's performance by the London-based pro-Palestinian duo, vocalist Bobby Vylan shouted 'Death, death to the IDF', the Israeli Defence Forces. He followed the chant, which was repeated by the audience, with 'From the river to the sea, Palestine... will be free' – regarded by many Jews as a call for Israel 's elimination. Broadcasting material calling for the death of an individual or group is an offence under the Public Order Act 1986. It carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Detectives from Avon and Somerset Police, the force responsible for the policing of Glastonbury, are reviewing footage of the performance. It is understood that BBC director-general Sir Tim Davie would have to bear ultimate responsibility if the Crown Prosecution Service decided to take the matter further. Mr Philp said: 'It looks clear that Bob Vylan were inciting violence and hatred. 'They should be arrested and prosecuted – just like some of those who did the same during the riots last summer. 'By broadcasting the duo's vile hatred, the BBC appears to have also broken the law. I call on the police to urgently investigate and prosecute the BBC as well for broadcasting this. 'Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict.' DailyWire this evening said the US State Department were looking to revoke the band's visas. A senior official reportedly told them: 'As a reminder, under the Trump Administration, the U.S. government will not issue visas to any foreigner who supports terrorists.' The punk duo have a twenty-city tour through the States lined up later in the year. Bob Vylan were performing as a warm-up act for controversial Northern Irish rappers Kneecap – one of whose members is facing a terror charge for allegedly displaying a flag in support of the banned organisation Hezbollah. Sir Keir said there was no excuse for Vylan's 'appalling' hate speech. 'I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence,' he added. 'The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' Lord Carlile said people were free to make anti-Israel comments but when those comments spilled over into death threats, or something that sounded like death threats, the BBC had a responsibility not to broadcast unlawful material. The KC, who served as the Government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation for ten years, added: 'I would be interested to know whether the BBC took legal advice and, if so, what that legal advice was. I'm very troubled they may have broadcast unlawful material under section 22 of the Public Order Act.' Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said: 'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' Bob Vylan, who formed eight years ago in London, refuse to reveal their real names because of what they call the 'surveillance state' But lawyer Mark Lewis, who specialises in libel cases, said the apology had come too late. He added: 'It is a bit rich that they try to lock the stable doors after the horse has bolted. Glastonbury was warned what was likely to happen and now it is likely there will be legal consequences.' Former Tory culture secretary Nadine Dorries said the BBC had 'serious questions to answer', adding: 'It is quite right that lawyers are asking whether the broadcasting of the chants made on the stage at Glastonbury have crossed the line into a criminal offence. Police should seek swift advice and take action immediately.' Dame Priti Patel, former home secretary and current Shadow Foreign Secretary, added: '[The BBC] no longer hold the respectability to claim the mantle of our national broadcaster.' Former Labour minister Lord Austin said: 'This weekend Glastonbury was turned into a sickening hate rally, and chants for death were beamed into millions of homes by the BBC. 'Tim Davie must now launch an urgent investigation and fire those found to be responsible. He must understand this is a very dark day for the corporation that calls its very purpose and future into question.' Former director of BBC television Danny Cohen told The Daily Telegraph: 'The police should investigate, as should the BBC's board, led by chairman Samir Shah. How much longer can they tolerate the failings of BBC leadership on anti-Semitism and bias?' A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'The BBC has surpassed even itself in endangering British Jews by airing this violent chanting. 'We are formally complaining to the BBC over its outrageous decision not only to broadcast Bob Vylan's calls for death and destruction, but also to place that segment on iPlayer along with Kneecap's performance, which the BBC knew in advance that it should not air. Bob Vylan is the UK's self-proclaimed 'most violent boy band' whose singer attended his first pro-Palestine protest at the age of 15 and whose music fuses punk, grime and hip hop 'Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions. 'That includes Tim Davie... who has had more than enough chances to stop this abuse of licence fee payers' money to platform bigots and extremists.' Toby Young, president of the Free Speech Union, raised the case of childminder Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for tweets she made about deporting asylum seekers and burning down hotels housing them after the Southport killings of three girls at a dance studio. She is currently serving a 31-month sentence. He added: 'She caveated what she said by adding 'for all I care', whereas he [Vylan] clearly does care and wants every member of the IDF, which includes virtually the entire population of Israel, to be killed, so the case for prosecuting him is stronger. But to be clear, neither should be prosecuted.' Bob Vylan's performance was later removed from iPlayer. A BBC spokesman said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' Avon and Somerset Police were approached for comment.
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Pro-Palestine campaigner accused of bombarding Labour MP with anti-semitic emails
A Pro-Palestine campaigner has been accused of bombarding Labour MP Helen Hayes with anti-Semitic emails. Austin Crick, 55, appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court on Friday after being charged with racially aggravated harassment of the MP. He is said to have sent the MP for Dulwich and West Norwood anti-Semitic emails concerning the ongoing Israeli-Gaza conflict. The prosecution say the constituent had sent emails on February 21, March 4 and April 9 and May 20. Hayes, 50, has been the MP for Dulwich and West Norwood since 2015 and Crick resides in East Dulwich. Wearing a white shirt, dark red tie with a large Palestinian badge attached to his jacket, Crick indicated a not guilty plea and elected for a Crown Court trial. Prosecutor Medinat Muhammed told the court: 'The defendant repeatedly sent anti-Semitic emails to his MP. 'They relate to the ongoing crisis between Israel and Gaza.' The court heard that Hayes, who is the current Chair of House of Commons Education Select Committee, took the decision to report Crick to the police because his behaviour was effecting members of her team. Crick was bailed to appear at Southwark Crown Court on July 25 on condition he does not contact the MP or her senior parliamentary assistant Niall Adams.
