China, Iran, Arab nations condemn Israeli minister’s statement about dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza

Numerous countries, including China, Iran, and several Arab states, have strongly criticized a statement by Israel’s Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu, who suggested that using a nuclear bomb against Gaza could be a viable option in the conflict with Hamas. This statement, which Eliyahu later described as metaphorical, was made public during a radio interview and subsequently led to his suspension from cabinet meetings by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During the opening session of a United Nations conference aimed at establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, these remarks were universally denounced. China’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Geng Shuang, described the comments as “extremely irresponsible and disturbing,” urging Israel to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state.

Israel’s nuclear capabilities, though never officially confirmed or denied, are widely recognized, particularly following a leak by a former Israeli nuclear reactor employee in 1986.

U.N. disarmament chief Izumi Nakamitsu, without directly mentioning Israel, highlighted the inadmissibility of nuclear weapons threats. Meanwhile, Oman’s U.N. Ambassador Mohamed Al-Hassan, representing the Gulf Cooperation Council, emphasized the severity of the threat these remarks posed to Palestinian lives and regional peace.

Lebanon and Iran also voiced their concerns, with Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Iravani stressing the danger of Israel’s secretive nuclear capabilities to regional stability. Israel, while not speaking at the conference, has consistently expressed concerns over a nuclear-armed Iran.

The efforts to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East trace back to the 1960s, with renewed calls in the 1990s and a significant U.N. conference held in 2019. However, Russia’s ambassador to the IAEA, Mikhail Ulyanov, expressed frustration over the lack of progress in fulfilling these long-standing commitments.

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• Nations Condemn Israeli Minister’s Comments About Dropping Nuclear Bomb on Gaza from Time.com.
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• Israeli tanks mass outside Gaza hospital, nuclear option condemned from Euronews.com.
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• Israeli minister suspended for saying dropping nuclear bomb on Gaza was an option from Sky News at News.sky.com.