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Middle East conflict

Palestine, Turkey apply to IAEA due to Israel’s nuclear weapons — diplomat

The Palestinian Ambassador to Austria, Salah Abdel Shafi, noted that the Secretary General of the League of Arab States had also sent a letter on this issue

VIENNA, December 24 /TASS/. Palestine and Turkey applied to Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi after the statement made by Israel’s Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Amihai Eliyahu regarding the possibility of a nuclear strike against the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Ambassador to Austria and permanent observer to the United Nations in Vienna Salah Abdel-Shafi told TASS.

"The recent statement of one of Israeli ministers, the Heritage Minister, when he said we have to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza, was basically an Israeli minister’s admitting that Israel is in position on nuclear weapons, something that Israel all along has denied. And that’s why, against this background, not only the Turkish President sent the letter; our government, our foreign minister also sent the letter to the Director General of IAEA Mr. Grossi," the Palestinian diplomat said.

The Secretary General of the Arab League also sent a letter on this matter, he said.

"The Arab countries and the Arab group in Vienna, we always put the issue of Israel’s nuclear capabilities on the agenda of IAEA," the Ambassador noted. "Israel is the only country in the Middle East that is not party to the [Nuclear Weapons] Non-Proliferation Treaty," he added.

Israel’s Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu was asked in an interview with Kol Berama Radio on November 5 whether a nuclear bomb should be dropped on Gaza and responded that it was one of the possibilities. The official later said that the nuclear bomb statement was metaphorical, but Israel definitely needs a powerful and disproportionate response to terrorism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended Eliyahu from government meetings and criticized his remarks about the possibility of using nuclear weapons in Gaza.

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Palestine Israel Turkey

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