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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: October 10, 2006 |
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Israeli officials said Tuesday they were concerned that North Korea's nuclear test would set a dangerous precedent and encourage Iran to press ahead with its own nuclear program.
The officials also said Israel feared North Korea would transfer materials and technology for the development of nuclear weapons to Iran.
"Nuclear capability in the hands of irresponsible undemocratic regimes is a world problem," said Miri Eisin, spokeswoman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"We should remind ourselves that the North Koreans have already been suppliers of launching platforms which could reach Europe and certainly Israel. As such, they have already shown their willingness to be suppliers to Iran."
North Korea has close defense ties with Iran, and Pyongyang helped Tehran develop its Shihab long-range surface-to-surface missiles that are capable of reaching Israel.
North Korea announced Monday that it tested a nuclear weapon, which would formally make it the ninth nation known or generally thought to possess such arms. Israel, though it has never admitted having nuclear weapons, is widely believed to possess them.
Israel's Foreign Ministry called North Korea's nuclear test "an irresponsible and provocative act" and it reiterated its call "to continue the moratorium on nuclear tests."
On Tuesday, Israeli Cabinet minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said the North Korean test could indirectly increase the threat to Israel.
"The interaction between North Korea and Iran is severe, there is cooperation between them," said Ben-Eliezer, a former defense minister. "Iran is waiting to see how the world will react. If it does not react strongly, this could be a catalyst to the enrichment process of the Iranian nuclear program."
Ben-Eliezer, though, reiterated that Israel would take a back seat in the matter, saying "the Korean and Iranian threat is global and not just against Israel."
While Israeli leaders have repeatedly called Iran's nuclear program an existential threat, they have said the U.S. and European Union should lead international efforts against Tehran.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is scheduled to hold a meeting this week on how to deal with the Iranian nuclear program. The North Korean nuclear test will likely come up in the meeting and in Olmert's summit next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, officials said.
Yossi Melman, a defense analyst for the Haaretz daily, said the North Korean test gave Iran "a push of encouragement" in the direction it was already headed.
"It is not significant if the test was successful or not, or whether it was nuclear or not. This was an act of defiance and that is what is important," he said. "This is what Tehran could learn from this ... It can learn that 'If we are determined, we can continue and the world will get used to it."'
However, he said it could be a "watershed moment" for how the world dealt with the Iranian threat. A strong international reaction could thwart Iran's progress, while a mild response could increase it and ultimately force Israel to go it alone, he said.
"The Israeli approach to Iran is to keep a low profile and let the international community lead, but the lead is not very encouraging," he said. "I believe that to delay the Iranian nuclear threat Israel, unfortunately, may have to act to send a message that Israel will not allow this to happen."
The Israel Atomic Energy Commission confirmed Monday that, based on its seismologic data, North Korea had indeed carried out a nuclear test. The subterranean explosion was relatively small, with an estimated yield of 0.5 and 1.0 kilotons, equivalent to a 4 magnitude earthquake, according to Nili Lifshitz, the commission's spokeswoman.
The current official members of the nuclear club are the United States, Russia, Britain, France, India, Pakistan and China.
Israel follows a policy of ambiguity about its own program, neither confirming or denying the existence of nuclear arms. Details disclosed by nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu in 1986 led experts to conclude that Israel has the world's sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, including hundreds of warheads. |
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