Opinion

Why the U.S. should start telling the whole truth about Israeli nukes

William Burr is a senior analyst at the National Security Archive at George Washington University. Richard Lawless is a former CIA officer and former assistant secretary of defense for Asia and Pacific affairs. Henry Sokolski is executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center.

With the Israel-Hamas war, a nuclear Rubicon of sorts has been crossed: Two elected Israeli officials — a government minister and a member of parliament — not only publicly referenced Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons but suggested that they be detonated over Gaza. This was a disturbing first. Meanwhile, in Washington, a long-standing secret executive order has prohibited American officials from even acknowledging that Israel has nuclear arms. Given the increasing risks of nuclear weapons proliferation — and, worse, use — continuing such self-censorship about Israel’s nuclear arsenal is not just bizarre; it’s harmful.