Olmert's nuclear slip creates uproar in Israel
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sparked an uproar after an apparent slip of the tongue in which he for the first time listed Israel as a nuclear power, but few expected the blunder to alter the Jewish state's "policy of nuclear ambiguity."
Israel, widely considered the Middle East's sole nuclear power, has for decades refused to admit or deny whether it has the atomic bomb.
But on Monday, Olmert appeared to break the taboo in an interview with a German television station as he began a visit to Berlin.
"We never threatened any nation with annihilation," Olmert told the N24 Sat1 station, speaking in English.
"Iran openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Can you say that this is the same level, when they are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as France, America, Russia and Israel?" he asked.
Olmert's spokeswoman Miri Eisin was quick to deny that Olmert had admitted to Israel having nuclear weapons, saying that "Israel will not be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons to the region.". . . .
But the blunder -- which came less than a week after Israeli officials rounded on the incoming US defense secretary Robert Gates for the same slip-up during his Senate confirmation hearings -- sparked outrage, with lawmakers from across the political spectrum calling on the premier to resign. . . . .
Meanwhile observers warned that Olmert's statement threatened to undercut efforts by Israel and the West to prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear program, which Tehran says is for civilian purposes and the West fears is a cover for acquiring atomic weapons.http://sg.news.yahoo.com/061212/1/45f2q.html
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sparked an uproar after an apparent slip of the tongue in which he for the first time listed Israel as a nuclear power, but few expected the blunder to alter the Jewish state's "policy of nuclear ambiguity."
Israel, widely considered the Middle East's sole nuclear power, has for decades refused to admit or deny whether it has the atomic bomb.
But on Monday, Olmert appeared to break the taboo in an interview with a German television station as he began a visit to Berlin.
"We never threatened any nation with annihilation," Olmert told the N24 Sat1 station, speaking in English.
"Iran openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Can you say that this is the same level, when they are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as France, America, Russia and Israel?" he asked.
Olmert's spokeswoman Miri Eisin was quick to deny that Olmert had admitted to Israel having nuclear weapons, saying that "Israel will not be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons to the region.". . . .
But the blunder -- which came less than a week after Israeli officials rounded on the incoming US defense secretary Robert Gates for the same slip-up during his Senate confirmation hearings -- sparked outrage, with lawmakers from across the political spectrum calling on the premier to resign. . . . .
Meanwhile observers warned that Olmert's statement threatened to undercut efforts by Israel and the West to prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear program, which Tehran says is for civilian purposes and the West fears is a cover for acquiring atomic weapons.http://sg.news.yahoo.com/061212/1/45f2q.html
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