JERUSALEM: Egyptian and Saudi nuclear ambitions, on top of Iran’s atomic drive, will lead to an “apocalyptic scenario, a senior Israeli cabinet minister said in comments published on Friday.
“If Egypt and Saudi Arabia begin nuclear programs, this can bring an apocalyptic scenario upon us, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman told the English-language Jerusalem Post newspaper.
“Their intentions should be taken seriously and the declarations being made now are to prepare the world for when they decide to actually do it, said the minister, responsible for coordinating Israeli efforts against a nuclear Iran.
On Oct. 29, President Hosni Mubarak announced a program to build several nuclear power stations.
Jordan, one of only two Arab countries with Egypt to have signed peace deals with Israel, as well as Algeria, Libya, Yemen and all six pro-Western Gulf states including Saudi Arabia have also announced peaceful nuclear ambitions.
Lieberman, who heads the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, also told the Jerusalem Post that Pakistan could pose a major threat to Israel.
“If the Taliban or [Al-Qaeda leader Osama] bin Laden get control [of Pakistan], they will have nuclear weapons for terror use and they don’t hide their opinions about Israel, said Lieberman, who is also a deputy prime minister.
Lieberman also joined the chorus of Israeli criticism against the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohamed El-Baradei, over his comments that Iran’s nuclear activities pose no immediate danger.
Israel, which belongs to the UN nuclear watchdog but is not a signatory to its key Non-Proliferation Treaty, is widely considered to have the Middle East’s sole nuclear arsenal.
It considers Iran its chief enemy after repeated statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Jewish state should be wiped off the map.
Lieberman is known for extreme nationalist views.
He once sparked outrage by advocating the execution of Arab Israeli MPs who had dealings with Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which Israel considers a terrorist organization but which controls the Gaza Strip.
