Written by Nevele Burnem   

This will be short and to the point. It's long past time for members of the print and electronic media to stop ignoring the biggest gorilla in the Middle East: Israel's massive, long-standing nuclear missile program. It's bad enough for American politicians of every stripe and faction to pretend that Israel is theatened by the prospect--the prospect!--of an Iranian capability to build one deliverable nuclear bonmb.

If anyone doubts the fact--and it is a fact, however unackowledged--of the Israel nuclear weapons program, he or she needs only to read Seymour Hersh's book, THE SAMSON OPTION. Beyond that, look up the history of Mordecai Vanunu, the Israeli nuclear physicist who blew the whistle on the program. He spent 18 years in prison for this act of extreme courage and was hounded for years after, suffering a gag order even after his release. Then there are the periodic updates from the British mag JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY, describing the latest upgrades on the Israeli missile systems that would carry the atomic warheads.

The estimate on the number of nuclear missiles Isreal has ranges from 200 to 600, clearly more than enough to incinerate any real imminent threat to their national security or survival. The current leadership in Israel, led by Benyamin Netanyahu, is certainly hawkish enough to consider an attack on any nation they perceive as a clear and present danger to their survival. The Arab nations in the region are well aware of Israel's nuclear capability, and somtimes refer to it when discussiona about alleged Israeli vulnerability are brought up.

Pakistan's nuclear weapons program is openly acknowledged by the Western political leaders and the world press. The fear is that the Pakistanis might get into a nuclear exchange with India, who also have the bomb and the ability to deliver it. The greater fear might well be that the Pakistani military, which has ties to Islamic terrorist groups, might be willing to share some of their weapons with Iranian terrorist cells. Knowing that the Israelis have a huge nuclear arsenal, some elements in Pakistan may believe that it is necessary to try to even up the game. In any event, there are enough fanatics on all sides, Israel certainly included, for a terrible series of events to occur.

In light of all of the preceding, it is both ludicrous and damned dangerous to demonize Iran and keep pushing it into a more desperate state of mind. I don't doubt for a moment that Pakistan would come to the defense of Iran, despite whatever their differences and disputes have been in the past. They are both Islamic nations, and the old adage is that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Can the West trust the Israeli generals and Bibi to keep their finger off the nuclear trigger? I would not bank on that. Isreal has got to come clean on its nuclear weapons and get into a serious arms reduction discussion. And fast. The gorilla is stirring and getting nastier by the day.