Opinion Editorials, July 2015

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Now Is the Time to Force Israel to Abandon Its Nuclear Weapons

By Nureddin Sabir

Editor, Redress Information & Analysis

There isn’t much to celebrate in the world these days but the nuclear deal between Iran and the five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) is certainly a glimmer of light in a particularly dark phase in the history of humanity.

As the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, declared at a joint press conference with the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs, Federica Mogherini, this is a win-win agreement that will benefit everyone, “a historic moment”.

Likewise, echoing Zarif’s sentiment, Mogherini said: “It is a decision that can open the way to a new chapter in international relations. I think this is a sign of hope for the entire world.”

But you wouldn’t have thought so if you listened to the oral  flatulence emitted by the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who described the deal as “capitulation” and a mistake of historic proportions.

Consequently, as the Iranian academic Farhang Jahanpour states, “although we are entitled to feel optimistic, the difficult part is still ahead when the naysayers in Israel and Saudi Arabia, and the hawks in the US Congress, will try to kill the deal”.

Indeed, as sure as night follows day the Israeli warmongers and their primitive sectarian brethren in Saudi Arabia will do their utmost, using the Zionist lobbies in Congress, to scupper the agreement.

This makes it imperative to continue the momentum and seriously turn to the project that is supported by most nations, namely to declare a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East.

Sunday Times, 5 October 1986: Revealed: the secrets of Israel’s nuclear arsenal

As Jahanpour says:

Israel has been using the threat of Iranian nuclear weapons both to expand her control over Palestinian territories and to suppress the Palestinians, as well as to expand her considerable nuclear arsenal. With the removal of the alleged Iranian nuclear threat, there is no further excuse left for Israel to keep her nuclear weapons.

If America and the West are serious about non-proliferation they should now direct their attention towards Israel. The Security Council and the international community should now seriously deal with Israel’s nuclear programme, call on her to join the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] and to get rid of her illegal weapons of mass destruction.

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

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