Nuclear dimensions of the 1967 Middle East War: an Israeli perspective

ABSTRACTFor many years, the nuclear dimensions of the 1967 Middle East War were unacknowledged and obscure. In the last two decades, however, bits and pieces of evidence have surfaced about this issue. This article reviews and assesses the current state of knowledge on these aspects of the pre-war crisis, i.e., what we know with confidence, what we suspect, and what remains unknown. The first section explores the prewar background: the state of Israel’s nuclear project as well as the Israeli perception of Dimona as a possible trigger for war. The second part deals with the two nuclear dimensions of the crisis itself. The first is the role of Dimona in shaping, even precipitating, the Israeli response to the crisis. The second is the crash nuclear-related activity that took place during the crisis. The article reviews recent testimonies on how Israel assembled its first nuclear-explosive device while exploring operational ideas for improvising a “last resort” demonstration.