Interview with Matityahu Peled, 1987

Matityahu Peled was a member of the Knesset, a General in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), and a professor of Arabic Studies, at the University of Tel Aviv, Israel. In the interview he discusses the importance of nuclear non-proliferation in the Middle East. He discounts arguments for why Israel should possess nuclear weapons, and argues instead that it is very important for Israel to sign the non-proliferation treaty to assure the Arab countries that Israel is not developing a weapon, and that not signing such a treaty could encourage the Arab countries towards nuclearization. He also describes his views on the Israeli bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor. He goes on to assess the problems with maintaining Israel’s nuclear capability, and offers his opinion that Israel and South Africa are cooperating on nuclear weapons. He explains the absence of Knesset debate on the subject by pointing to Israeli laws allowing the government either to squelch such discussion or to withhold access to relevant information.