BICOM

The General Assembly of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) yesterday voted against a resolution to impose inspections on Israeli facilities thought to house nuclear equipment.

Israel pursues a policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying its atomic capability, although it is thought that a nuclear facility exists at Dimona. The resolution spearheaded by Egypt was also constructed by Syria, Iran, Iraq and Libya. It would have forced Israel to open its facilities for inspection. However, it was defeated by a 61-43 vote. All European Union (EU) member states, including the UK, rejected the motion, as did the likes of the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and some African and Pacific nations. The Arab countries were joined by Turkey, South Africa, China, Russia and others in support of the resolution.

Similar initiatives have been proposed and defeated in the past, most recently last year, and are viewed by many as an attempt to politicise the IAEA. However, yesterday’s vote took on particular significance given the context of the recent Iran nuclear deal which Israeli leaders vociferously oppose.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called yesterday’s vote a “great” diplomatic victory for Israel. He said “I personally talked with more than 30 presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers” and explained to them “that there’s no place for a discussion of this sort while the main problem in the Middle East remains Iran’s attempts to obtain nuclear weapons and its clear declarations of its intent to destroy the State of Israel.” In particular, Netanyahu thanked the EU states, United States, Canada and Australia for their opposition to the resolution.

Ze’ev Snir, the director-general of Israel’s Atomic Energy Committee addressed the IAEA General Assembly in Geneva and emphasised how Israel strongly values the body’s work. He stressed that Israel and the IAEA cooperate on a number of areas including nuclear security and technological issues. Snir said that the motion would have “hurt the credibility of the IAEA by politicizing the organization and reducing its valuable resources.”