Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled a visit to the United States, where he was scheduled to attend a summit on nuclear security, Israeli officials stated. Mr. Netanyahu made this decision after learning that Egypt and Turkey intended to raise the issue of Israel's presumed nuclear arsenal, according to these officials. President Obama is set to host dozens of world leaders at the two-day conference, which begins in Washington on Monday. Israel has never confirmed or denied possession of atomic weapons. Israel’s Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Dan Meridor will replace Netanyahu at the nuclear summit, as reported by Israeli radio. More than 40 countries are expected to participate in the meeting, focusing on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to militant groups.
According to Israeli officials, Turkey and Egypt plan to call on Israel to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). A senior Israeli source remarked, "These states intend to exploit the occasion in order to criticize Israel."
ANALYSIS by Paul Wood, BBC News, Jerusalem: On the surface, Mr. Netanyahu’s decision seems quite odd. After all, he must have anticipated some focus on Israel’s own nuclear program at this conference. Indeed, he acknowledged this possibility two days ago when he announced his attendance. He stated that since Israel is not a terrorist or rogue state, he had nothing to fear. Certainly, Israel is concerned about pressure to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This will increasingly become an issue since Israel has also announced its intention to build a civilian nuclear power station to address a severe electricity shortage.
But what about Israel’s nuclear weapons? Former US President Jimmy Carter, who is certainly knowledgeable, claimed the Israelis possess at least 150 warheads. Mr. Netanyahu stated his main priority in office is addressing Iran’s supposed intentions to develop both warheads and long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel. In these circumstances, Mr. Netanyahu believes it more crucial than ever to protect his own weapons program. “The prime minister expressed his displeasure over these intentions and will therefore not be traveling to the summit.” Mr. Netanyahu emphasized his main priority is dealing with Iran’s supposed intention to develop both warheads and long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel.
Together with India, Pakistan, and North Korea, Israel is one of only four states that have not signed up to the NPT, which has 189 signatories. Earlier this week, President Obama unveiled the new Nuclear Posture Review — which narrows the circumstances in which the US would use nuclear weapons — outlining his country’s long-term strategy of nuclear disarmament. On Thursday, the US president and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, signed a landmark nuclear arms treaty in Prague, the Czech capital. That treaty commits the former Cold War adversaries to reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 each — 30% lower than the previous ceiling.
The BBC’s Kim Ghattas in Washington notes that the cancellation of Mr. Netanyahu’s Washington visit occurs at a time of strained relations between the two states. During his most recent US visit last month, the Israeli premier failed to see eye-to-eye with Mr. Obama regarding the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, our correspondent adds. Washington criticized the construction of Jewish homes in East Jerusalem, prompting the Palestinians to withdraw from US-brokered indirect peace talks. There were also reports that one of Mr. Netanyahu’s confidants called Mr. Obama a "disaster" for Israel.
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