By Prof. Ruel F. Pepa
Introduction: Revisiting Israel’s Nuclear Shadow
In his seminal 1991 work, The Samson Option: Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh peels back the curtain on one of the world’s worst-kept secrets: Israel’s clandestine nuclear weapons program. Through meticulous research and insider accounts, Hersh outlines not only the technical development of Israel’s nuclear capabilities, but also the complex geopolitical maneuvering and tacit approval from the United States that enabled its rise.
Yet over three decades since its publication, the book’s implications remain disturbingly relevant especially in the context of Israel’s aggressive posture toward Iran, underpinned by unverified allegations of nuclear armament. A deeper investigation into this narrative reveals the fragility of intelligence claims, the dangerous utility of suspicion, and the suppression of dissenting truths within the corridors of power.
The Dimona Facility and the Birthofa Nuclear Power
At the heart of Hersh’s exposé lies the Dimona nuclear facility in Israel’s Negev desert. Constructed in secret during the late 1950s, Dimona became the epicenter of Israel’s nuclear ambitions. Hersh details the technical hurdles Israeli scientists overcame and the covert operations used to acquire necessary materials, often circumventing international norms and inspections.
Hersh presents compelling evidence that by the late 1960s, Israel had amassed a credible nuclear arsenal, yet never acknowledged it publicly. This strategic opacity which is commonly known as nuclear ambiguity allowed Israel to avoid international scrutiny while maintaining a formidable deterrent.
The Samson Doctrine: Deterrence by Destruction
The book’s titular concept, The Samson Option, references the biblical figure Samson who destroyed a Philistine temple, killing himself and his enemies when cornered. Applied to Israeli military strategy, the doctrine implies that if Israel were to face existential destruction, it would unleash its nuclear arsenal in retaliation even at the cost of catastrophic global consequences.
This strategy serves as both deterrent and threat, projecting power without disclosure. It also underscores the asymmetry of Israel’s approach to regional adversaries, many of whom are condemned for suspected nuclear activity while Israel’s own arsenal is left unchallenged.
U.S. Complicity: Strategic Silence and Suppressed Truths
Hersh meticulously traces the long history of U.S. awareness and accommodation of Israel’s nuclear development. Beginning with the Eisenhower administration and continuing through successive presidencies, American officials adopted a pattern of “willful ignorance.” Despite mounting evidence, the U.S. opted to suppress, ignore, or even aid Israeli nuclear ambitions in exchange for strategic alliance and regional influence.
A key theme in Hersh’s investigation is the influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups in shaping U.S. policy. These powerful networks, he argues, contributed to a political climate where silence on Israel’s nuclear status was rewarded, and open criticism stifled.
Espionage, Intelligence, and the Pollard Affair
One of the more explosive episodes detailed by Hersh involves Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. Navy intelligence analyst who spied for Israel in the 1980s. Pollard provided Israel with highly classified information, which, according to Hersh, was subsequently bartered by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir to the Soviet Union in exchange for Jewish emigration allowances.
This incident illustrates the blurred lines between ally and adversary, and the unsettling extent to which geopolitical leverage can override principles of loyalty and national security.
Preemptive Strikes and Nuclear Hypocrisy
Israel’s nuclear history is punctuated by acts of preemptive aggression. The 1981 bombing of Iraq’s Osirak reactor and alleged joint nuclear testing with apartheid-era South Africa in 1979 reflect a broader pattern: while Israel reserves the right to act unilaterally against suspected nuclear threats, it remains immune from equivalent scrutiny.
This hypocrisy is particularly glaring in light of Israel’s confrontational stance toward Iran which is an issue that continues to dominate regional and global diplomacy.
The Iran Nuclear Accusation: Weaponizing Suspicion
Israel has long asserted that Iran is developing nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian energy program. These claims have served as the rationale for cyberattacks (such as the Stuxnet virus), sabotage campaigns, assassinations of Iranian scientists, and even direct military strikes on Iranian-linked facilities in Syria and beyond.
However, there is no definitive proof that Iran has ever diverted its nuclear program toward weaponization. In fact, a classified intelligence report submitted to the U.S. Senate by the Trump government’s Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard offers a radically different perspective. Based on years of in-depth analysis, the report asserts that Iran’s nuclear program is strictly for civilian energy use and has shown no conclusive signs of militarization.
This report, however, was quashed by Gabbard’s very own boss, Donald Trump,who not only dismissed its findings but also publicly ridiculed Gabbard. In one press briefing, US President Trump waved off her conclusions with a caustic quip:
“I don’t care what she [Gabbard] said. I think they were very close to having one.”
Such disregard for intelligence findings that contradict dominant political narratives reveals how truth can be manipulated in service of strategic aims. It also illustrates how Israel’s nuclear policy is not only protected but wielded as a tool to frame adversaries regardless of factual accuracy.
Vanunu, Whistle blowers, and the Costof Truth
No account of Israel’s nuclear program would be complete without mention of Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli technician who exposed the inner workings of Dimona to the British press in 1986. Vanunu was subsequently kidnapped by Mossad, brought back to Israel, and imprisoned for 18 years wherein 11 of them were in solitary confinement.
Vanunu’s story underscores the human cost of speaking truth to power. His case also reinforces Hersh’s argument that transparency is antithetical to Israel’s nuclear doctrine, which depends on secrecy, ambiguity, and a politically convenient silence.
Conclusion: Power, Secrecy, and the Politics of Nuclear Fear
TheSamsonOptionremains one of the most thorough investigations into Israel’s nuclear capabilities and the geopolitical scaffolding that supports them. Seymour Hersh’s work reveals a double standard: where allies like Israel are permitted to possess nuclear weapons in silence, and adversaries like Iran are demonized without credible evidence.
In the post-truth era, the manipulation of intelligence, the silencing of whistleblowers, and the strategic use of fear-mongering have become cornerstones of foreign policy. As Israel continues to justify its regional aggression on the basis of unverifiable threats, it is imperative to question not only the narrative but also the power structures that allow such narratives to thrive unchecked.
Prof. Ruel F. Pepa is a Filipino philosopher based in Madrid, Spain. A retired academic (Associate Professor IV), he taught Philosophy and Social Sciences for more than fifteen years at Trinity University of Asia, an Anglican university in the Philippines.
20 June 2025
Source: globalresearch.ca