How Israel's Coyness on Nukes Helps the U.S.

Washington may be formally committed to stamping out the proliferation of nuclear weapons everywhere, but the policy's one blind spot is Israel — and it may have to get even more blind following an unprecedented 45-minute debate in the Knesset Wednesday over Israel's as-yet unacknowledged nuclear weapons program. The debate was called by a left-wing Arab-Israeli legislator, Issam Mahoul, who wants whatever nukes exist, if they exist, to be dismantled. Cabinet ministers accused Mahoul of aiding Israel's enemies, and refused to answer his questions or budge from their traditional policy of "constructive ambiguity" — neither confirming nor denying the Jewish state's nuclear capability.

While Washington has employed economic sanctions to press India and Pakistan to sign on to various international nuclear arms control treaties, there's been no equivalent pressure on Israel despite the strong belief in official circles that it may be in possession of as many as 100 nuclear devices. "The U.S. has always looked the other way on Israel's nuclear program," says TIME State Department correspondent Douglas Waller. "It's a double standard they've upheld because, if the truth be told, they may see some value in Israel's having some nuclear weapons as the ultimate defense against being overrun."

But Washington's stance is getting harder to maintain. "Despite the official ambiguity, officials have over the last decade become less cautious about indirectly confirming Israel's nuclear capability," says TIME Jerusalem bureau chief Lisa Beyer. "There's even been a low-key debate among scholars and thinkers over whether the ambiguity serves any constructive purpose. But its primary purpose today may be that it creates an excuse for the U.S. to avoid coming down hard on Israel." Just don't tell Pakistan or India, OK?