WP: US Democrats call on Trump to break silence on Israel’s nuclear arsenal

Thirty House Democrats have urged the Trump administration to publicly acknowledge Israel’s undeclared nuclear weapons programme, marking a rare challenge to decades of U.S. policy surrounding Israel’s nuclear ambiguity.

In a letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Washington Post, lawmakers led by Joaquin Castro argued that Washington’s silence on Israel’s suspected nuclear arsenal is untenable amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

“The risks of miscalculation, escalation, and nuclear use in this environment are not theoretical,” the lawmakers wrote. “Congress has a constitutional responsibility to be fully informed about the nuclear balance in the Middle East, the risk of escalation by any party to this conflict, and the administration’s planning and contingencies for such scenarios.”

“We do not believe we have received that information,” the lawmakers wrote.

Israel has never officially acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons, maintaining a long-standing policy of ambiguity dating back to the late 1960s. U.S. administrations from both parties have historically avoided publicly discussing the issue.

According to the report, some officials inside the Trump administration share concerns about the possibility of escalation and uncertainty surrounding Israel’s nuclear red lines. U.S. officials cited in the report said there is growing unease over how Israel could respond if faced with large-scale missile attacks or heavy civilian casualties.

Avner Cohen, a historian of Israel’s nuclear programme and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said the congressional letter represents a significant break from past political norms.

“This is something that people did not dare do before,” Cohen said. “Even raising these questions publicly is a departure from a bipartisan norm.”

Cohen said the policy of silence stems from an informal understanding reached in 1969 between then-U.S. President Richard Nixon and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, under which Washington accepted Israel’s policy of nuclear ambiguity and shielded it from international scrutiny.

“Israel alone could not have maintained this policy over decades without the United States,” he said.

The lawmakers argued that the longstanding policy undermines U.S. credibility in efforts to restrict nuclear programmes elsewhere in the Middle East, including in Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

“We cannot develop coherent nonproliferation policy for the Middle East … while maintaining a policy of official silence about the nuclear weapons capabilities of one party central to the ongoing conflict,” the lawmakers wrote.

The U.S. State Department and the Israeli government did not respond to requests for comment, according to the report.

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, said Israel strongly opposes changing the current arrangement.

“Nonrecognition allows the Israeli government to redirect attention at other countries in the region who are pursuing nuclear activities that could lead to nuclear weapons,” he said.

Castro previously raised the issue during a public hearing in March, asking senior State Department arms control official Thomas DiNanno to describe Israel’s nuclear capabilities. DiNanno declined to answer directly.

“I can’t comment on that specific question,” he said at the hearing.

In comments to The Washington Post, Castro said Washington should not avoid discussing the issue publicly given the broader regional risks.

The congressman said the United States “shouldn’t refuse to disclose this information about a foreign nation simply out of courtesy when there’s so much at stake for our own service members, our economy and our country.”

The debate reflects wider shifts within the Democratic Party over U.S.-Israeli relations amid growing criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

Jeremy Shapiro, a former Obama administration official, said many Democrats are now seeking major changes in Washington’s relationship with Israel.

“Many, perhaps most Democrats, at this point want to see fundamental changes in the U.S.-Israeli relationship,” Shapiro said. “The first change that these Democrats want to see is for the U.S. to hold Israel to the same standards as other countries on issues such as nuclear weapons.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev