Nuclear-Free Middle East!

Dear Friends,

Let's face it. It seems like nearly everyone wants to join that ever so exclusive Nuclear Club these days. Of course, membership is extremely expensive. Just ask the United States and Russia how much they have spent over the last 60 years. Of course, plenty of other nations are members, and are throwing money down the drain keeping up with the big nukes, and plenty more are working at becoming members.

The U.S. is still wringing its hands over Iran's nuclear ambitions, while it continues to turn a blind eye - or is it two blind eyes - towards Israel. For decades Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a nuclear program, but has approximately 200 nuclear weapons. If we are serious about nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, we cannot focus on certain countries while ignoring others; no one can be left out. A Middle East Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone is crucial, and would be significant in its impact on global nuclear abolition efforts.

Click here to send President Obama a message (thanks to the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation) urging him to use the convening power of the United States to begin negotiations on a Middle East Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ).

Peace,

Leonard

You can look up information on nuclear forces for every country known to possess them (including Israel) at the Federation of American Scientists.

Photo Credit: Greenpeace activists protest as their ship, The Rainbow Warrior, is seen in the background, at the beach in Tel Aviv, Thursday, March 29, 2006. Photo by Associated Press.