05 Apr 2023; MEMO: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak yesterday confirmed that Israel has nuclear weapons, breaking a long maintained policy of "ambiguity" over the matter, the Jewish National Syndicate reported.
"In conversations between Israelis and Western political officials, they express deep concern about the possibility that if the regime coup succeeds in Israel, a messianic dictatorship with nuclear weapons will be established in the heart of the Middle East," he tweeted.
He referred to the US research of Professor Erica Chenoweth and political scientist Maria J.Stephan, who co-authored a 2012 book, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic ofNonviolent Conflict.
Barak has emerged as one of the most determined critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Earlier this week, he revealed his strategy for a "counter-revolution" to overthrow it.
The Dimona nuclear research facility, officially called the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Centre, is widely believed to house Israel's alleged nuclear-weapons programme.
Israel is estimated to have about 200 nuclear warheads, the Jewish National Syndicate said.
