BICOM

Arab states, led by Egypt, have decided not to force what has become a perennial vote on Israel’s nuclear capability at the upcoming International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conference, according to newspaper Haaretz.

The story cites a leaked cable sent to Israeli diplomats by Tamar Rahamimoff-Honig, Head of the Arms Control Department at Israel’s Foreign Ministry. It says that Arab League member states have decided not to push for a vote on a resolution regarding Israel’s nuclear programme at next month’s IAEA general conference.

Such a vote, although invariably rejected in recent years, has become something of a fixture on the conference agenda. However, the cable also cautions that the Arab states’ position could alter at short notice.

Haaretz suggests two reasons for the Arab states’ decision. Firstly, the high probability of losing a vote. Secondly, the growing warm relations between Israel and Egypt, which has usually spearheaded the issue at the IAEA. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry recently visited Israel, and the two countries are thought to cooperate closely on security.

The newspaper claims that in June, Morocco’s Ambassador asked the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano to include “Israel’s nuclear capabilities” on the conference agenda, but no request was made for a resolution or a vote. Israel’s ambassador to the IAEA, Merav Zafary-Odiz, subsequently sent Amano a letter saying “Israel welcomes the decision of the Arab League” to refrain from a resolution, calling it “a positive step”. Israel officially maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity, refusing to either confirm or deny its atomic capability.

In the wake of the Haaretz report, Director General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Dore Gold issued a directive banning Israeli diplomats from contact with local journalists, instructing them to instead turn to the ministry’s spokespeople for direction in such cases.

Meanwhile, in another development, Israel Radio news reports that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has withdrawn opposition to Egypt’s initiative for a regional conference in Cairo to boost diplomatic progress between Israel and the PA.