Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit says a covert U.S.–“Israel” understanding keeps Tel Aviv’s nuclear arsenal beyond public scrutiny—just as fresh satellite images point to a major expansion at the Dimona site. What does this mean for a region already on edge?
Aboul Gheit’s Claim: A “Silence-for-Secrecy” Deal
In a televised interview with Egypt’s Sada El-Balad, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit revealed what he called a “secret agreement” between the United States and “Israel.”
According to his account, the understanding is simple:
“‘Israel’ pledges never to speak—no matter how many centuries pass—about its nuclear arsenal, and America, in turn, promises to remain silent.”
Aboul Gheit accused Washington of misleading Arab capitals, recalling meetings in Cairo and Washington where U.S. officials urged Egypt to ratify the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in exchange for U.S. pressure on “Israel” to do the same. “Egypt refused,” he said, noting that such pressure never materialised.
U.S. Shielding and Regional Power Politics
The Arab League chief argued that the global silence surrounding “Israel’s” undeclared nuclear weapons stems from American protection, describing “Israel” as shielded by the dominant military-political pole that has shaped world order since the Soviet Union’s 1990 collapse.
As Egypt’s former foreign minister, Aboul Gheit added that Cairo deliberately refrained from ratifying chemical or biological weapons conventions, stressing that Egypt saw no need for a nuclear deterrent because its costs outweigh any benefit.
Egyptian diplomacy, he said, has consistently advocated a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, and international inspections of “Israel’s” nuclear facilities could become “inevitable.”
He warned that these dynamics risk triggering a regional existential crisis, potentially forcing Washington to reconsider its long-standing nuclear umbrella for “Israel”—while noting that “Israel couldn’t even use its nuclear weapons during the 1973 war.”
Dimona’s Upgrade: Signals of a Nuclear Expansion?
New satellite imagery has intensified scrutiny of the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near Dimona, long believed central to “Israel’s” clandestine nuclear programme. As The Independent speculated in September, recent construction suggests an expansion of capabilities.
- Planet Labs PBC imagery from 5 July shows large-scale works, including what appears to be a deep, multi-level underground facility with thick concrete retaining walls and heavy cranes—evidence of a major new phase at a previously excavated area.
- Analysts say this could indicate a new heavy-water reactor or a warhead assembly facility. Earlier images in 2021 captured the initial dig: a roughly 150m x 60m rectangular pit near the original reactor zone.
According to reporting cited in the article, seven nuclear experts who reviewed the imagery judged the construction likely linked to “Israel’s” nuclear weapons programme.
- Three said the size and configuration most likely indicate a new heavy-water reactor—the kind that produces plutonium, a core ingredient of nuclear weapons.
- Four acknowledged that while a reactor is plausible, the build could also be a warhead-assembly complex; they cautioned that the project is still early, so firm conclusions are premature.
Jeffrey Lewis (James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies): “It’s probably a reactor—that judgment is circumstantial, but that’s the nature of these things. It’s very hard to imagine it is anything else.”
Nuclear Ambiguity—and No International Oversight
“Israel” maintains nuclear ambiguity—neither confirming nor denying it possesses nuclear weapons—and is outside the NPT, one of only four countries not party to the treaty.
Consequently, the IAEA has no mandate to inspect Dimona (it only engages with the separate Soreq research reactor).
Asked about the new construction, the IAEA reiterated that “Israel” is not obligated to disclose details beyond Soreq. As one expert put it:
“‘Israel’ doesn’t allow international inspections or verification of what it’s doing, which forces the public to speculate.” — Lyman
A Programme Rooted in Secrecy
Built in the late 1950s after successive Arab–“Israeli” wars, the Dimona site has long been shrouded in secrecy. In the 1980s, Mordechai Vanunu leaked photos and details from inside the facility, leading experts to estimate that “Israel” holds dozens of nuclear warheads.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (2022) estimated around 90 warheads, with heavy-water reactors believed to be central to plutonium production—similar to India and Pakistan.
This renewed activity comes shortly after joint U.S.–“Israeli” airstrikes in June that targeted nuclear facilities across Iran, including the Arak heavy-water reactor, citing concerns about Tehran’s potential nuclear ambitions.
With no international inspections and minimal transparency, the Dimona expansion deepens concerns about the nature and scale of “Israel’s” nuclear arsenal—and what its continued growth may mean for regional and global stability.
Why This Matters for the Muslim World
For Arab and Muslim audiences, the issue is not only technical but moral and strategic:
- A U.S.–“Israel” silence-for-secrecy understanding (as alleged) entrenches a double standard: pressure on Muslim countries, exceptionalism for “Israel.”
- Nuclear ambiguity without oversight heightens miscalculation risk and undermines the push for a WMD-free Middle East—a long-standing Arab and Islamic diplomatic priority.
- Expanding Dimona while striking Iranian nuclear sites—and demanding strict compliance elsewhere—reinforces perceptions of selective enforcement and geopolitical impunity.
Key Takeaways
- Aboul Gheit alleges a covert U.S.–“Israel” pact preserving secrecy over “Israel’s” nuclear arsenal.
- Fresh satellite images show major construction at Dimona, potentially a new heavy-water reactor or warhead-assembly facility.
- “Israel” remains outside the NPT; the IAEA has no inspection authority at Dimona.
- The regional balance is further strained amid strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and the absence of transparent safeguards for “Israel.”
- The developments intensify calls for a WMD-free Middle East and equal application of international norms.
