Israel Matzav

Good news: IAEA board to discuss 'Israeli nuclear capabilities'

The agenda for the June 7 meeting of the IAEA's Board of Directors was published on Friday, and one of the items on the agenda is 'Israel's nuclear capabilities.'

A copy of the restricted provisional agenda of the IAEA's June 7 board meeting lists "Israeli nuclear capabilities" as the eighth item — the first time that that the agency's decision-making body is being asked to deal with the issue in its 52 years of existence.

The agenda can still undergo changes in the month before the start of the meeting and a senior diplomat from a board member nation said the item, included on Arab request, could be struck if the U.S. and other Israeli allies mount strong opposition. He asked for anonymity for discussing a confidential matter.

Even if dropped from the final agenda, however, its inclusion in the May 7 draft made available to The AP is significant, reflecting the success of Islamic nations in giving concerns about Israel's unacknowledged nuclear arsenal increased prominence.

The 35-nation IAEA board is the agency's decision making body and can refer proliferation concerns to the U.N. Security Council — as it did with Iran in 2006 after Tehran resumed uranium enrichment, a potential pathway to nuclear weapons.

A decision to keep the item would be a slap in the face not only for Israel but also for Washington and its Western allies, which support the Jewish state and view Iran as the greatest nuclear threat to the Middle East.

Actually, given that the Obumbler has consented to calling on Israel to join the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, I'm not sure how much this can be called a slap in the face to the United States. But the arrogant Obama certainly deserves one. Iran and Syria are regular agenda items at board meetings.

Elevating Israel to that status would detract from Western attempts to keep the heat on Tehran and Damascus and split the board even further — developing nations at board meetings are generally supportive of Iran and Syria and hostile to Israel.

That in turn could stifle recent resolve by the world's five recognized nuclear-weapons powers — the U.S., Russia, Britain, France and China — to take a more active role in reaching the goal of a nuclear-free Middle East.

Inclusion of the item appeared to be the result of a push by the 18-nation Arab group of IAEA member nations, which last year successfully lobbied another agency meeting — its annual conference — to pass a resolution directly criticizing Israel and its atomic program.

And that precisely is the problem: At a time when the World ought to be paying attention to Iran, it is being distracted with focusing on Israel's supposed nuclear capabilities.

What could go wrong?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:55 PM