… While Israel fears proliferation in Gulf

JERUSALEM, May 30: Israel, the Middle East's only nuclear power, feared that Pakistan's nuclear tests could lead to proliferation in the reg...

JERUSALEM, May 30: Israel, the Middle East’s only nuclear power, feared that Pakistan’s nuclear tests could lead to proliferation in the region and put the bomb in the hands of its worst enemies, Iran and Iraq.

But Israeli officials yesterday stressed that the Jewish state was not directly threatened by Pakistan’s tests and it would not change its long-standing nuclear doctrine.

“Above all we are worried that Pakistan’s tests will encourage Tehran and Baghdad to acquire nuclear weapons,” said David Bar-Illan, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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“Israel sees no reason to change its position and we reaffirm that we will not be the first nation to introduce nuclear weapons into the region,” Bar-Illan said..

But he did not deny that Israel had a “potential” to develop nuclear arms. Israel has traditionally maintained a policy of never confirming reports by international experts that it possesses an arsenal of 100-200 nuclear warheads which could be mounted on its long-rangeballistic missiles.

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