US laws forbid sales and export of numerous numerous high tech and weapons to states with Nuclear Weapons without explicit case by case exemptions from both Congress and the President. Ambiguity exempts Israel from these sanctions. Why should Israel create a situation that would so greatly prejudice and compromise relations with the US?

Are you kidding? Any other country might be safe, but Israel is surrounded by countries that are dedicated to the destruction of Israel and these countries beleive they will go to heaven and have 72 virgins waiting for them in heaven if they push the button.

The Arabs aren't fooled and the Iranians aren't fooled and the educated aren't fooled so the only person Israel is fooling is itself.

Surely, Israel will not effect a policy change on the whim of a first term US president with absolutely no foreign policy experience. You are surrounded on three sides by hostile forces, and water on the fourth side. You can't afford to compromise your security to satisfy anyone, and certainly not a US president that can't be trusted.

WHY, AND WHAT FOR?

Why give Israel's enemies more power?

Nuke Iran. That will end the ambiguity. May also consider smaller nukes in Syria, Bekaa Valley and Gaza. The arabs will quiet down wondering who is next.

I agree with Prof. Even and was glad to read his views on this issue as well as the others.

Ambiguity has been a powerful deterent. NOW is the time for Israel to develop 3 new strategies: More Powerful Nukes: Tiny Tactical Nukes and Extremely large (15,000 - 40,000 lb) conventional bombs. Conventional weapons are still 'acceptable' by international law; exploit this and make the most powerful and frightening bombs possible. Also Ariel sonic bombs and EMPs as well as a slew of no -lethal weapons and ready ourselves for a full scale war. Now is NOT the time to watch & wait but to engage dramatic overkill in armaments.

Yes, everyone assumes that Israel is a nuclear power. But since Israel doesn't brandish its capabilities and doesn't threaten anyone directly with it, Israel's neighbors can pretend it's not an issue. Once Israel eliminates that ambiguity, those same neighbors must react. "Israel is a threat to regional peace!" they will declare. "Israel must disarm, or we too must have nuclear weapons." Oops! There's a phrase folks like Even should internalize: the law of unintended consequences.

What does it gain Israel ? It would only increase the pressure for the Israelis to sign the non proliferation treaty, which it's enemies would ignore anyway.

What's the 'ambiguity'? The whole world knows you have the bomb, so why not admit it?

When all the world knows Israel has nuclear weaponry, then it's denial is not ambiguity , but deceit. And when Israel criticizes Iran for its alleged covert development of nuclear weaponry, then that is total hypocrisy.

if you will look at the map will find it shoking that Israel is tiny, if that state makes you and them go banana than you r the fools.

Declaration would immediately invoke 22 U.S.C. 2778 of the Arms Export Control Act subjecting Israel to sanctions. This would put Israel on a par with Pakistan and require a case by case exemption from both the President and Congress for almost all US exports to Israel. What possible benefit can this bring to Israel?

Thats final!!! You Israelis are so ignorant thinking you dont need to sign the NPT. If the rest of the world signs it, Israel has to!!! You blame Iran for making nukes (when theyre NOT) but you have nukes yourself?? HYPOCRITES!!!! To 17: Israel might be a small country, but they are somehow a powerful country ( in a bad way) They are the only threat to ME. If Israel stopped of confilicts they come up with in WB with Palestinians, then ME might actualy have a chance to acquire peace!!!!! Thank god Prime Minister Kevin Rudd isnt as dumb as Obama...

To be or not to be ambiguous, that is the question. And the question came up only because of Obama who is a one term president. Why do something you will regret later on? Didn't you get along fine before Obama? Long term thinking is better than short term thinking.

attempting to procure and produce a nuclear arsenal is ridiculous. Even with any so called declarations of peaceful nuke missiles is even more ludicrous, trying to make monkeys out of Israel. Israel must never make any so called nuclear concessions when the decisions and commitment of it's Arab neighbours are volatile, meaning a few months before a non nuclear missile development and next few months research to produce nuclear warheads is declared.

AN OLD YIDDISH SAYING : "Only show them half your Tuchus" meaning keep 'em guessing folks. This is a bit like a man showing his wife his monthly payslip / salary receipt..she will not thank him for it and it will only return to haunt him .JUST SAY NO.

THAT is the question .Whether it be nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune., of our " Unbreakable James Bond " with Obama and Hillary .Is it necessary to end ambiguity?? ISABEL NECESSARY ON A BICYCLE??

THIS IS ONLY A PROBLEM WITH ISRAEL ENEMIES. THOSE WHO LIVE AND WILL LIVE IN PEACE WITH ISRAEL, HAS NO PROBLEM WITH THIS AMBIGUITY. TO LIFT THIS AMBIGUITY DO NOT AS OBAMA THINK - -"BUILD TRUST" - BUT ONLY EXPOSE ISRAELTO HER ENEMIES. IF ISRAEL HAS A CLEAN HISTORY RECORD , AS REGARDING THE NUCLEAR ISSUE, WHY BOTHER OF FOREIN PRESSURIE. THE OBAMA PEACE EFFORTS ARE IN VAIN, BECAUSE HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND REALITY AND HUMAN NATURE. ISRAEL IS NO THREAT TO ANYBODY, WHO DOES NOT WORK EVIL AGAINS HER, THIS HISTORY HAS SHOWN. ISRAELS ENEMIES SHOIULD HOLD THEIR PEACE, AND LEAVE ISRAEL IN PEACE, AND THERE WILL BE NO PROBLEM. OBAMAS POLICY WILL NOT LEAD TO PEACE BUT TO WAR. HE IS IN ERROR. ONLY JEHOVAH CAN BRING REAL PEACE, AND ONLY ON HIS OWN CONDITIONS, CONDITIONS HUMANS HAVE TO ACCEPT, OTHERWISE THERE WILL NEVER BE PEACE. Arn.

Listen here you peanuts how much do you know about the Israel/Palestinian issue really ! I am guessing only what you see and read in the news and the rest is pure subjectivity or antagonisim against a race that has succeeded regardless of what society has thrown at them.It is so easy to throw comments from the peanut gallery you are all sitting in.Get off your high horses and get with the program.Israel has to protect itself.It always has and it always will.No matter how far back in history you go we have had to fight hard to protect the small piece of land that we inhereted from Moses.We have been kicked out many times and now that we have it back and built it up like no one has ever before we are not going to hand it over to war mongers who are prepared to die for their cause and are honoured in death.Jews choose life and believe me you would rather warheads be the safe hands of Israel than Iran any day.Don't fool yourself to believe that your friend Ahmadinkapoop wouldn't think twice of taking out your countries too.

...WB with Palestinians..." THAT'S A GOOD ONE! I was going to write something to the effect of 'why not read some history..' but my LAUGHTER AT YOUR IGNORANCE IS TOO MUCH - ...OOOH MAKE IT STOP!

The ambiguity policy was dreamed up by the Nixon administration. It allowed Israel to have its nukes and as the US didn't know officially if it was true or not it avoided additional pressure on them to say anything. As long as your enemies know you have something there isto reveal the fine details. As PM Olmrt came close to formerly addmiting Israel had nukes the Saudis said that as long as Israel doesn't admit to having nukes its ok but the minute that its made official they will consider the idea of developing their own nuclear weapons. Israel cannot join the NPT and its nukes Obama has proven that. Once again there is an arms embargo on Israel, this one is unofficial but the Obama administration has slapped an unofficial arms embargo on Israel whilst selling to the arabs all the weapons they are refusing to give Israel. The nukes are also the only leverage Israel has over the US and is directly responsible for the US policy that Israel maintains an edge above its neighbors in terms of conventional arms. If the US doesn't have to worry about Israel having a second strike nuclear option then they will say to the whole region there is no need to worry about keeping Israel 1 step ahead of the arabs. They can sell what they want to who they want without risking nuclear war. It also means they don't have to sell the dumed down version of a weapons platform Israel also has. Israel would have no influence when it came to weapons it wanted from the US. If we wanted fighter planes we would not be able to request we put our own systems inside to stay 1 step ahead. Israel as the poor neighbor would be neglected be totally neglected by the US when it came to its security. Obama is 1 president and he won't be around forever. He hopefully has just 3 years left and most the things the arabs and muslims are asking of him now with regard to Israel is just oportunism which they wouldn't try with another president. There are also midterms in November and if Congress loose control of Congress Obama will be weakened. Obama isn't our new future, he is a storm we just have to ride out. New we need to just keep cool head and not make any rushed decisions we will regret at a later stage because we panicked.

No more virgins in Gaza or West bank.All gone. They will have virgins in Saudi Arabia, Yemen,Afghanistan

the only people who still think of this in terms of ambiguity are the Israelis- you keep telling yourself the world does not know- ?