by Maayana Miskin Nisan 25, 5770 / April 9, '10
For the past 20 years it has been common for scientists working at the Dimona reactor to travel to universities in the U.S. to enhance their knowledge in the fields of physics, chemistry, and nuclear engineering.
The only reason the Dimona scientists' visa requests were refused was their work at the reactor, sources in the military establishment said. None of the researchers has had any trouble with the law, in Israel or America.
A former Dimona worker told Maariv that the problems between Israel and America went beyond denied visas. The US has also created a “de-facto embargo” on equipment needed in the Dimona reactor, he said.
The refusal to sell Israel certain parts began after current US President Barack Obama took office, he said. When it comes to certain other pieces of equipment, he added, the US now permits sales only if Israeli officials explain exactly what the part will be used for.
"And yet, when it comes to those who manufacture nuclear terrorism, we hear a lenient approach, even though the entire world can see that Iran's leaders are making a joke out of the US,” he said.
Professor Zev Alfasi of the nuclear engineering program at Ben-Gurion University confirmed the statements made by the anonymous former Dimona worker. “Some people are not getting visas to the United States for the sole reason that they work at the Dimona reactor,” he said. In addition, he said, “The US does not sell a single piece of nuclear-related equipment to the Dimona reactor... They sell to the universities, but they refuse to sell equipment to the reactor.”
On Friday morning, spokesmen for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that he would not attend a Nuclear Security summit in the US as previously planned, but would send a senior minister in his place. Netanyahu apparently decided not to attend the summit due to concerns that he would face pressure over Israel's nuclear program. The visa refusals may have been another factor leading to his concerns.
NRG/Maariv reports today that workers at the Dimona reactor who submitted
VISA requests to visit the United States for ongoing University education in
Physics, Chemistry and Nuclear Engineering — have all been rejected,
specifically because of their association with the Dimona reactor. This is a
new policy decision of the Obama administration, since there never used to
be an issue with the reactor’s workers from study in the USA, and till
recently, they received VISAs and studied in the USA.
Israeli Defense Officials have stated that these reactor researches have no
criminal background in Israel or in the USA, and yet they are being singled
out purely because of their place of employment at the reactor.
Professor Zeev Alfasi, the head of Nuclear Engineering at Ben-Gurion
University in the Negev stated that “the United States doesn’t sell anything
nuclear-related to the Dimona reactor, and that means absolutely nothing.
Radiation detectors, for example have to be purchased now in France because
the USA refuses to sell these to Israel.”
Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor’s employees have told Israel’s Maariv daily
that they have been having problems recently getting visas to the United
States where they have for years attended seminars in Chemistry, Physics and
Nuclear Engineering (link in Hebrew, Hat Tip: BA Wilson). They also complain
of being treated in an ‘insulting manner’ by President Obama’s people. Until
recently, employees of the Nuclear Research Center routinely traveled to the
United States for seminars and courses.
But reactor employees also complain of an American refusal to sell them
reactor components that have routinely been sold to them by the United
States. Instead, the components are being purchased from… France. This is
from a Google translation that I’ve tried to fix up a little bit.
Professor Zeev Alfasi, the Chairman of the Nuclear Engineering Department
at Ben – Gurion University, who is aware of what is going on, describes the
deterioration of the American attitude regarding the nuclear reactor. “Some
of our people did not receive visas to the United States because they are
employees of Nuclear Research Center,” explained Professor Alfasi, “The
United States does not sell anything nuclear to the Nuclear Research Center,
and this includes everything. For example, the Nuclear Research Center in
Dimona is buying radiation detectors in France, because the Americans are
not selling to the Nuclear Research Center’s employees. ”
Prof. Alfasi added that “the Americans want to know for what each item of
equipment is used. They sell to universities, but they refuse to sell these
same items of equipment to the Nuclear Research Center. I do not whether
they will sell the same items that they refuse to sell us to Iran.” The
Nuclear Research Center refused to comment on the claims.
The cancellation followed rumors that Arab and Muslim states planned to demand that Israel sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, as have 189 countries. Turkey and Egypt were among those countries allegedly planning to use the conference to pressure Israel.
Israel is believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons. Israeli leaders have traditionally declined to confirm or deny that Israel possesses nuclear arms, and have avoided signing non-proliferation pacts.
Next week's conference is to be headed by US President Barack Obama. Obama hopes to obtain widespread agreement on protecting nuclear arms from terrorists and reducing nuclear arsenals in countries which have them.
While the summit is not scheduled to address concerns relating to individual states, the subject of nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, who will not be among the 40 countries expected at the conference, will probably come up in bilateral talks. Several Muslim countries have used concerns over Iran's nuclear program to demand that the entire region be made free of nuclear arms.
Netanyahu's cancellation came less than two days after he announced that he would be attending the summit. On Wednesday, the prime minister had dismissed concerns that Israel would come under pressure at the event. “I'm not concerned that anyone would think that Israel is a terrorist regime. Everybody knows a terrorist and rogue regime when they see one,” he said.
Netanyahu's aides said Friday that the switch was standard procedure. “At international conferences on this subject, Israel is usually represented by a ministerial and expert delegation. In line with this, the prime minister decided Israel would be represented by deputy prime minister Dan Meridor,” they said.
Other sources hinted that the Prime Minister, still smarting from Obama's reception at the White House recently, did not entirely trust White House assurances that there would be no discussion of Israel's nuclear arms situation at the conference and the administration's adherence to a 1969 understanding with Washington that it agreed with Israel's ambiguity and would not pressure Israel on the subject.
Many other countries still plan to send their top leaders. Among those scheduled to attend are Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
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