Qatar Calls for International Oversight of Israel's Nuclear Facilities

Qatar has called for Israel's nuclear facilities to be placed under the regulation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and for the country to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear state. This statement was made during a session of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna on Saturday, which focused on the ongoing situation in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel's nuclear capabilities.

Qatar's Ambassador to the United Nations Office and International Organizations in Vienna, Jassim Yacoup Al-Hammadi, emphasized the importance of ensuring that Israel complies with international nuclear regulations. He noted that some of the resolutions within the NPT explicitly urge Israel to join the treaty as a non-nuclear state.

Israel has never publicly acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons, and it has not signed the NPT, making it a non-signatory state. The NPT, established in the 1960s to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, divides countries into two categories: nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear-weapon states. The treaty obligates nuclear states to help prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, while non-nuclear states must avoid developing or acquiring nuclear weapons.

Israel initially supported the NPT when it was proposed in 1968 but withdrew its support following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Today, Israel is one of the few countries not a party to the treaty, joining India, Pakistan, North Korea, and South Sudan. North Korea signed the treaty before later withdrawing.