Washington – U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday said his administration wanted to see all countries sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, including Israel.
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At the end of a 47-nation nuclear summit that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to attend, Obama was asked about Israel’s refusal to join the NPT even as Washington works to bolster enforcement of the treaty.
“As far as Israel goes, I’m not going to comment about their program,” Obama told a news conference.
But he said that “whether we are talking about Israel or any other country, we think that becoming part of the NPT is important.”
That was a long-held US position that preceded the current administration, Obama added.
Foreign military experts believe Israel has an arsenal of several hundred nuclear warheads, but Israel has never publicly acknowledged it has nuclear weapons and has maintained a policy of deliberate ambiguity.
Israel, like nuclear-armed countries India, Pakistan, and North Korea, is not a signatory to the nuclear NPT to avoid international inspections.
Obama’s comments came after Prime Minister Netanyahu abruptly pulled out of the nuclear summit last week, and amid the worst tensions between the two allies in years.
Israeli media said Netanyahu was concerned that Muslim nations attending the conference planned to press for Israel to open its own nuclear facilities to international inspection.
Netanhayu’s decision underscored Israeli reluctance to expose its own nuclear programme to scrutiny, even as it voices growing concern over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Israel can declare itself to be a nuclear power and sign the nonproliferation treaty. I don’t see why it doesn’t do that.
Did Iran sigh?
He’s an anti-semite and hates Israel. Wake Up!
How come he hasn’t said anything about Iran??
His true colors is slowly coming out… He hates us all… he wants to destroy all of us jews, not only israel..and the biggest problem is, that come november a few politicians will promise us the world and will vote them in again… Guys.. We gotta wake up..and get our agenda straight..
Signing the NPT tells the world exactly how many and what kind of nuclear weapons EY has. Maybe they have fewer then the World thinks but want to continue bluffing, maybe they have more powerful ones then the world thinks and want to keep that a surprise. In either case, nothing good can come of their disclosing this to a hostile world. They are not a terrorist nation, they wont attack anyone and they need these as a weapon of last resort should the Arab world, once again, decide to annihilate them. My personal hope is that they have artillery sized nuclear shells, neutron bombs, and H bombs – and they will be used when needed to save Jewish lives. THey are clearly at the forefront of defending against terror. FIrst the world condemns, then the world follows. They were first in targeted assasinations, bombing Iraq’s nuclear reactor, using a wall to separate the West Bank, using drones, etc. I am afraid they will be the first to use a nuclear weapon in post WW II.
There’s no way that Israel can do this
Israel should sign the NPTTOE=NO PALESTINE TODAY, TOMORROW OR EVER!!