Burg said the remarks during a press conference in Haifa with the title "Transforming the Middle East into a Region Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction."

"The nuclear treasure is becoming a long-term threat and political burden, these days," Burg said, describing the policy of ambiguity to be "ancient and childish. The equation is no longer an Israeli monopoly. ... The new reality imposes a choice between everyone 'possessing' nuclear weapons and a nuclear-weapons-free region. There is no nuclear option for all."

Burg, who had formerly served in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, called for "increased awareness on the nuclear question and imposing restrictions for immunity. A comprehensive regional dialogue must be held, including with Iran, since there is no conflict without dialogue and only a public dialogue would allow the risks and alternatives to nuclear weapons rise to the surface."

In an interview with Israeli newspaper Maariv, Burg said, "It is time to exit" what he called the "nuclear closet," putting an end to the ambiguity shrouding Israel's nuclear program. The new equation should be, "either nuclear [capabilities] for all or for none."

"Dismantling the chemical weapons in Syria means that it is possible to dismantle weapons of mass destruction," Knesset member Dov Khenin, from the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash), informed the conference, "and it could be done by political means and international agreements."

“Our region could reach a state where weapons of mass destruction could be dismantled, making it a much safer region."

"It is time to understand that nuclear weapons are not the solution, but the problem, and they are not safe, but the danger that threatens us and our neighbors," he concluded.

NTJ/BA