Britain gave Israel plutonium, files show

Britain secretly supplied Israel with plutonium during the 1960s despite a warning from military intelligence that it could help the Israelis to develop a nuclear bomb, it was disclosed last night. The deal, made during Harold Wilson's Labour government, is revealed in classified documents released under the Freedom of Information Act and obtained by BBC2's Newsnight programme. (Guardian full story)

It was already known that Britain supplied heavy water to Israel, destined for its weapons-grade plutonium producing reactor in Dimona.

Turns out that British involvement in getting Israel the bomb went much further than that:

The documents also show how Britain made hundreds of shipments to Israel of material which could have helped in its nuclear weapons programme, including compounds of uranium, lithium, beryllium and tritium, as well as heavy water.

This is clearly an embarrassment to the British Government which is resolutely against Iran's plans for uranium enrichment as this is seen as a move by Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons, something which is flatly denied by the regime.

This smacks of more double standards in the West's attitude towards the Middle East. Iran is accused of secretly carrying on the development of its nuclear technology (with the help of that other famous tinfoil ally, Pakistan) in the past, whilst insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful, civil purposes only and whilst remaining a signatory of the NPT.

Israel, in contrast, carried out its program in complete secrecy (until the cover of the alleged textile factory was blown by Mordecai Vanunu - photo) and without breaking any agreements... simply because it never signed anything! Today, Israel is estimated to have the sixth largest nuclear arsenal in the world, with an estimated 200, undeclared, nuclear warheads.

No doubt the Foreign Secretary will come out with something along the lines of "regrettable but past episode" but I doubt of the Iranians will see it that way...

Keywords: Iran, Israel, nuclear, Britain