What does the situation in Gaza have to do with nuclear weapons?

• Israel’s attacks on Gaza are the tragic product of an international system rooted in colonialism and cemented by the existence of nuclear weapons.
• Israel is the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, and it has support from the United States, the most powerful nuclear-armed country in the world.
• In early November, Israel’s Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said in an interview that dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip was “one of the possibilities.”

Does Israel really have nuclear weapons?

• Yes. The existence of Israel’s nuclear weapons program is widely known, despite the fact that the Israeli and U.S. governments refuse to acknowledge that they exist.
• The Federation of American Scientists estimates that Israel possesses 90 nuclear warheads–three times as many as North Korea, and about half as much as either India or Pakistan–though some estimates place the number slightly higher.

Does Iran (or any country other than Israel in the Middle East) have nuclear weapons?

• Not right now. But there’s a chance Iran will develop them in the future. Despite his campaign promises to have the United States re-enter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the Iran Deal), Biden has not done so.

The Gaza war could spark a war in the Middle East involving Iran and Saudi Arabia.

• Israel and the United States’ actions have consequences for the future of nuclear proliferation. Before October 7, the U.S. was facilitating a “normalization” deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well as a U.S.-Saudi security pact and possibly a uranium enrichment deal.

Iran is a supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah. As the war continues, it gets closer and closer to developing its own nuclear weapon.

• Iran’s nuclear program is no longer limited by the Iran Deal, since the U.S. withdrew from it in 2018.
  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has stated at least twice in U.S. news outlets that

Saudi Arabia would develop a nuclear weapon if Iran developed one. That means that soon, there could be three nuclear-armed countries in the Middle East.

• This is a threat to global peace from a country with a long history of shameless human rights abuses. Letting the genocide of Palestinians continue and giving Saudi Arabia more of what it needs to develop a nuclear weapon means committing to a future of war.