The new initiative by democratic lawmakers - against Israel’s nuclear ambiguity policy
A group of dozens of lawmakers in Congress from the Democratic Party demanded that Secretary of State Rubio lift Israel's nuclear ambiguity policy and expose the "nuclear balance" in the Middle East • Just two months ago, a senior administration official refused to respond when publicly asked about Israel's nuclear capabilities
By Tomer Almagor
A group of Democratic members of Congress is calling on the Trump administration to publicly acknowledge Israel's nuclear capabilities, according to a public letter that Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro published yesterday. The group is effectively calling on the U.S. to abandon decades of American policy that supports Israel's ambiguity policy regarding its nuclear program.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 30 Democratic lawmakers led by Castro argued that Washington's silence regarding Israel's nuclear ambiguity cannot be defended in light of the war with Iran. "The risks of miscalculation, escalation, and nuclear use in this environment are not theoretical. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to be fully informed about the nuclear balance in the Middle East, the risk of escalation by any party to this conflict, and the administration's planning and contingencies for such scenarios", the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
According to the lawmakers, Israeli ambiguity does not allow countries in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia and Iran to make informed decisions. Concerns about nuclear escalation are shared by some people within the Trump administration as well, who believe that Israel's red lines may not be sufficiently understood, according to a source in the Trump administration who spoke with the Washington Post.
According to foreign publications, Israel possesses nuclear weapons. However, in keeping with Israel's ambiguity policy, no official Israeli source has ever confirmed this.
In March, Castro asked Thomas DiNanno, a senior official in the U.S. State Department responsible for nuclear oversight, to describe Israel's nuclear weapons capabilities during a public hearing. DiNanno refused, saying, "I cannot address that specific question".
The new initiative comes amid a continuing deterioration in Israel’s relations with the Democratic Party. Last month, a record number of 40 Democratic senators voted in favor of blocking arms transfers to Israel, and according to a Pew Institute survey, approximately 80% of Democrats in the United States currently hold a negative view of Israel.