In a May 4 letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, some 30 Congressional Democrats are demanding that the Trump administration acknowledge the open secret that Israel has an arsenal of nuclear weapons. The lawmakers demand detailed information about Israel’s nuclear program, its enrichment capabilities, where Israel produces its fissile material, and whether Israel has communicated to the U.S. its red lines for using nuclear weapons during the current Iran War.
The letter states: “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…. We do not believe we have received that information.” The letter continues: “The risks of miscalculation, escalation, and nuclear use in this environment are not theoretical…. We cannot develop coherent nonproliferation policy for the Middle East … while maintaining a policy of official silence about the nuclear weapons capabilities of one party central to the ongoing conflict.”
Similar concerns are shared by some officials within the Trump administration who point out that Israel’s secrecy about its undeclared nuclear arsenal only leads to inadequate clarity about its red lines, and that Israel may not share the same threshold as the U.S. for using nuclear weapons. One White House official told the Washington Post, “There is a low boil of unease about Israel’s nuclear program and what could compel them to use nuclear weapons short of facing a WMD attack.” The Pentagon has also questioned at what point, should Israel’s air defense systems be overwhelmed by missile or rocket fire and civilian casualties mount, it would respond with nuclear retaliation. This uncertainty invites miscalculation and disaster.
For decades this conversation has been taboo in the U.S., but there has been a growing recognition of a needed change in the U.S.-Israel relationship. In April a record 40 Senate Democrats voted to block weapons shipments to Israel. Recent polls show that 80% of Democrats now have a negative view of Israel and believe that it should be held to the same standards as other countries.
