Israel's Bomb - A Radioactive Taboo

S1 E1: It’s considered ”the worst-kept secret in the world;” a taboo, but at the same time one of the most compelling means of leverage in the global games of political poker. With the support of Germany, France, Britain and the United States, Israel has risen to be one of the world’s strongest nuclear powers. Analysts estimate the country possesses several hundred nuclear warheads – enough to destroy nearly any target in the world. But no international regulatory agency monitors the program; no nuclear inspector enters the country on regular visits; no treaty regulates the warheads’ number or strength. The Israeli bomb is an open secret – but an official state secret at the same time. The heads of government of the western world do not speak openly on the subject, and their media are similarly reticent. Israelis who break their silence are imprisoned for many years and publicly harassed – like the former nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu. Israel regularly deals with its conflicts by secretly threatening to use its nuclear weapons – allowing it to assert its military and political demands. The country is willing to go to extremes with this strategy of deterrence, known as the “Samson Option.” The threat to the world is, “If we are destroyed, we will kill everyone else along with us.” The country wants to avoid ever being helpless. How was Israel able to build up a nuclear arsenal “secretly”? What roles did countries like Germany, France and the US play? Is Israel’s nuclear potential now also a threat to the western world?