Report: UK erased mention of Israeli nuke arsenal

The British government instructed a mention of Israel's nuclear weapons arsenal to be erased from a secret government document before it was released to the public in order to avoid damaging relations between the two countries, according to a report in the British newspaper The Guardian on Thursday.

The document was part of the now discredited dossier on Iraqi nuclear weapons programs. According the report, the main cause for concern with the dossier was a handwritten mention of Israel next to a line reading "no other country (apart from Iraq) has flouted the United Nations' authority so brazenly in pursuit of weapons of mass destruction."

The dossier was made public this week, but the Foreign Office succeeded before a tribunal in having the handwritten mention of Israel kept secret.

The Office claimed that publishing a mention of Israel in connection with nuclear weapons would damage relations between the two states given the fact that Israel has never admitted to possessing them.

A Guardian reporter saw the full text along with a witness statement from a senior Foreign Office official, who argued behind closed doors that any public mention of the candid reference would seriously damage UK-Israeli relations.

In statement to the tribunal, Neil Wigan, head of the Foreign Office's Arab, Israel and North Africa Group, said he did not know who had referred to Israel in the margin: "I interpret this note to indicate that the person who wrote it believes that Israel has flouted the United Nations' authority in a manner similar to that of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein."

'UK perceived as prejudice'

Wigan said the disclosure would seriously damage the UK's relations with Israel. The comparison with Saddam and the "implied accusation of a breach of the UN's authority by Israel are potentially very serious."

Wigan added that "unfortunately, there is perception already in Israel that parts of the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) are prejudiced against the country." The note on the Williams draft dossier "would therefore confirm this pre-existing suspicion and would increase the damage."

Writing in October last year, Wigan noted that "criticism of Israel received a huge amount of media coverage." The margin comment mentioning Israel would thus be given a "high profile."

Harming relations with Israel would undermine the FO's ability to prevent and resolve conflict "through a strong international system." In addition, there was "an important national interest in relation to counter-terrorism," the diplomat said.