Shimon Perez and and PW Botha. There in black and white.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/23/israel-south-africa-nuclear-weapons
The "top secret" minutes of meetings between senior officials from the two countries in 1975 show that South Africa's defence minister, PW Botha, asked for the warheads and Shimon Peres, then Israel's defence minister and now its president, responded by offering them "in three sizes". The two men also signed a broad-ranging agreement governing military ties between the two countries that included a clause declaring that "the very existence of this agreement" was to remain secret.
But South Africa was years from being able to build atomic weapons. A little more than two months later, on 4 June, Peres and Botha met in Zurich. By then the Jericho project had the codename Chalet.
Fucking hell. Not only historical importance here, but currently this is probably the hottest potato out there. With the current: "let's bomb Iran because they may get nukes which may not be looked after" hype, what can they say now? SA was a pariah nation in those days, and especially arms were very much prohibited in the international community.
I'm gobsmacked. Die ou krokodil is dead, but Peres is still VERY much in command, and this is just .... this is trouble. Isreal have just lost ANY moral high ground.
The arab states have what they need now. Evidence. They will use this. Most definitely.
2 comments:
The middle-east crisis is one of the biggest cans of worms ever.
I've not felt that Israel ever really had the moral high ground. While I feel they have a right to exist as a nation, their stance on human rights for minorities and their aggression is to be frowned upon.
Trying to discuss the matter objectivity is almost impossible on such a polarized subject. The west seems to want to defend Israel at all costs while the Muslim world wants to blow them sky-high.
Hmmmmmmmm yes.
Objectivity is easy, stick to facts.
Did they have nukes? YES
Did the offer them to sa? YES
Was sa under UN sanctions at the time? YES
is that selling WMD to rogue nations? YES.
objective enough? ;-)
peace
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