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35 Years Since the Bombing of the Iraqi Nuclear Reactor

(Israel Hayom) Eyal Zisser - In 1981, Israeli jets bombed the Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad, built by Saddam Hussein with French assistance, thus ending the Iraqi dictator's dream of acquiring a nuclear weapon. In response, the U.S. placed a temporary embargo on arms shipments to Israel. Yet it is clear that acquiring nuclear weapons would have granted Saddam immunity from an American attack, like the one which led to his downfall in 2003. The passing years not only strengthened and confirmed the justification and morality of the Israeli operation, but also its inherent diplomatic and military logic. Israel's determination to prevent its enemies from acquiring nuclear weapons helped stave off a regional nuclear arms race for two decades. We also learned that the international community is at best helpless when confronting the threats to regional stability, and at worst is often complicit in helping these threats develop. Today we see similar cooperation with Iran, which is trying to succeed where Saddam failed. The writer, Vice Rector at Tel Aviv University, is former director of its Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies.
2016-06-14 00:00:00
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