Israel under Pressure to Surrender Chemical Weapons after Syria

TEMPO.CO, Tel Aviv - After the deal between U.S. and Russia for Syria to destroy its chemical weapons, international community may shift its attention towards Israel to also destroy its chemical weapons.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry came to Israel to discuss the deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We have been closely following and supporting your ongoing efforts to rid Syria of its chemical weapons. The Syrian regime must be stripped of all its chemical weapons, and that would make our entire region a lot safer," Netanyahu said.

Israeli officials were less diplomatic in responding to attention given to Israel regarding its chemical weapons. "It’s a way of diverting attention away from the real subject which is the fact that Syria has chemical weapons, has used chemical weapons, and has threatened its use of chemical weapons to try to switch the spotlight onto us," Israeli officials said.

What is even more disturbing is the exposure to Israel’s nuclear weapons program. "Israel will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East," officials said.

Even though Israel constantly denied having nuclear weapons, reports from Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists have found Israel of having 200 nuclear weapons.

Officials in Tel Aviv said the U.S.-Russia’s deal has pressured Israel to join Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Eitan Barak, a professor of international relations from Hebrew University, said Israel refused to ratify NPT despite international pressure. Israel however will remain flexible on Chemical Weapons Convention.

"Israel has an interest in a chemical free zone as opposed to a nuclear-free zone," Eitan Barak said. "That would leave Israel with its alleged monopoly on nuclear weapons."

Jerussalem Post | Reuters | Abdul Manan