the Arab world has the greatest need to block Kissinger’s efforts?’
‘The Palestine liberation movement.’
‘Sure. A successful détente would leave both Syria and Palestine isolated. Unable to exert pressure on Israel for their own ends. But it’s not the PLO. Arafat wouldn’t do it that way. Even the El Fatah attack on a Tel Aviv tourist hotel was out of character for him. That was the PLO’s attempt to neutralize Kissinger. But Arafat wouldn’t deliberately kill Syrian army officers or risk an operation likethe attack on Shed 27. The consequences for the PLO if that failed would have been disastrous.’
‘So it was an extremist splinter group?’
‘Yes.’ Kahn nodded vigorously. ‘Habash’s MPF, or Hawatemeh’s PDF or,’ he paused, staring at Mordecai, ‘for my money, Mahmoud el Ka’ed’s SAS. Ka’ed wouldn’t hesitate to do something like that if he thought it would kill an Egypt-Israeli détente.’
‘So what do you tell the PM and CGS at tonight’s meeting ?’
Kahn stood up, went to the corner, filled a glass with water from a carafe, came back. ‘Several things. First, exactly what I’ve told you. They must make their own choice. The Prime Minister has superb political intuition. Let’s see how he rates the possibles and probables. Second, whatever the motive for the incident, the nuclear warhead is now in the hands of the people who hi-jacked it. The high probability is that it’s the Palestinians. What are they going to do with it? That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. They’ve got physicists. They know the technology. It’s my belief they’ll use that bomb – use it in Israel, because we’re right next door and we’re target number one. With it they can take out Tel Aviv or Haifa. That’s my appreciation of the situation.’
Mordecai said, ‘I’ve been thinking that for some time. But I didn’t want to put it into words.’
Kahn stood up. ‘There’s another thing the Prime Minister and CGS have got to decide pretty soon.’
‘What’s that?’
‘The Syrians have got Pluton. So now they have nuclear capability. We’d better confirm what the world suspects – tell them straight or leak it – that we’ve got it too. Project MD-660 . No need to tell them it has four times the range of Pluton. Russian and US intelligence already know that. We can take out Cairo, Damascus, Beirut and Amman if they are looking for that sort of fight.’
‘It’s been rumoured for some months that we’ve got nuclear capability. The Times report on October 12th mentioned it.’
‘A rumour’s one thing, Bar. If we confirm it they’re not going to use Pluton unless they’re crazy. But that’s a decision for the Prime Minister.’
The Times report on October 12th was followed by world-wide condemnation of France’s action in supplying nuclear weapons to the Middle East. The French Government’s defence that Israel had already developed a nuclear capability of her own, and that the Soviet Union would have supplied Syria had France not done so, was brushed aside.
In a leading article the editor of the New York Times declared: The enormity of the moral offence can only be matched by the consequences likely to flow from it.
The unusual shape these consequences were to take, the speed with which they were to follow, were soon to astonish the leader writer.
The Soviet Government, quick to join hounds baying at the heels of the hunted, requested an urgent meeting of the Security Council … to take immediate steps to preclude the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. By way of a sop to Arab opinion, and to ensure that France and Israel were not let too easily off the hook, it added … and to censure the French and Israeli Governments for their grossly irres ponsible imperialistic actions.
In a statement issued the next day the Israeli Government reiterated its denial of Israeli complicity in the happenings at Beirut Port on the night of
‘The Palestine liberation movement.’
‘Sure. A successful détente would leave both Syria and Palestine isolated. Unable to exert pressure on Israel for their own ends. But it’s not the PLO. Arafat wouldn’t do it that way. Even the El Fatah attack on a Tel Aviv tourist hotel was out of character for him. That was the PLO’s attempt to neutralize Kissinger. But Arafat wouldn’t deliberately kill Syrian army officers or risk an operation likethe attack on Shed 27. The consequences for the PLO if that failed would have been disastrous.’
‘So it was an extremist splinter group?’
‘Yes.’ Kahn nodded vigorously. ‘Habash’s MPF, or Hawatemeh’s PDF or,’ he paused, staring at Mordecai, ‘for my money, Mahmoud el Ka’ed’s SAS. Ka’ed wouldn’t hesitate to do something like that if he thought it would kill an Egypt-Israeli détente.’
‘So what do you tell the PM and CGS at tonight’s meeting ?’
Kahn stood up, went to the corner, filled a glass with water from a carafe, came back. ‘Several things. First, exactly what I’ve told you. They must make their own choice. The Prime Minister has superb political intuition. Let’s see how he rates the possibles and probables. Second, whatever the motive for the incident, the nuclear warhead is now in the hands of the people who hi-jacked it. The high probability is that it’s the Palestinians. What are they going to do with it? That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. They’ve got physicists. They know the technology. It’s my belief they’ll use that bomb – use it in Israel, because we’re right next door and we’re target number one. With it they can take out Tel Aviv or Haifa. That’s my appreciation of the situation.’
Mordecai said, ‘I’ve been thinking that for some time. But I didn’t want to put it into words.’
Kahn stood up. ‘There’s another thing the Prime Minister and CGS have got to decide pretty soon.’
‘What’s that?’
‘The Syrians have got Pluton. So now they have nuclear capability. We’d better confirm what the world suspects – tell them straight or leak it – that we’ve got it too. Project MD-660 . No need to tell them it has four times the range of Pluton. Russian and US intelligence already know that. We can take out Cairo, Damascus, Beirut and Amman if they are looking for that sort of fight.’
‘It’s been rumoured for some months that we’ve got nuclear capability. The Times report on October 12th mentioned it.’
‘A rumour’s one thing, Bar. If we confirm it they’re not going to use Pluton unless they’re crazy. But that’s a decision for the Prime Minister.’
The Times report on October 12th was followed by world-wide condemnation of France’s action in supplying nuclear weapons to the Middle East. The French Government’s defence that Israel had already developed a nuclear capability of her own, and that the Soviet Union would have supplied Syria had France not done so, was brushed aside.
In a leading article the editor of the New York Times declared: The enormity of the moral offence can only be matched by the consequences likely to flow from it.
The unusual shape these consequences were to take, the speed with which they were to follow, were soon to astonish the leader writer.
The Soviet Government, quick to join hounds baying at the heels of the hunted, requested an urgent meeting of the Security Council … to take immediate steps to preclude the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. By way of a sop to Arab opinion, and to ensure that France and Israel were not let too easily off the hook, it added … and to censure the French and Israeli Governments for their grossly irres ponsible imperialistic actions.
In a statement issued the next day the Israeli Government reiterated its denial of Israeli complicity in the happenings at Beirut Port on the night of
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