discussion with the Former Israeli Deputy FM about Israel's nuclear programme:
_How many nuclear weapons does Israel have? Because experts says it's anywhere between 80 and 400.
_So what? So what? Yeah, so what?
_Do you recognise the hypocrisy of Israel having a secret illicit nuclear weapons programme that it won't open up its doors to and won't talk about and then lecturing everyone else in the region about nuclear weapons?
_So, let's start with the legal and formal. Israel has never been a member, a signatory of the NPT, so we are not breaking any rules. Iran was, Iraq was, Syria is and they all tried to, to cheat, number one.
_But you never recognise the laws in the first place.
_if an Iranian guest came on my show and I asked them about Iran's nuclear weapons, "I don't know I'm not gonna talk about it," would you be OK with that? You'd be outraged.
_Of course, I would be. Because, because there was like 16 United Nation Security Council resolutions against Iran and.
_And there is against Israel, and there is against Israel, as well.
_About the nuclear programme, no.
_Yes, there is, UN resolution 487, let me read it to you, the UN Security Council in 1981 says calls upon Israel urgently to place its nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA, why haven't you done that?
_I tell you why, because we want to live and survive, this is the only reason, live and survive.
_Avi Shlaim, when Danny talks about the threat from Iran, do you recognise that language? How big a threat in your view is Iran to Israel today?
_Iran is not an existential threat to Israel but it is a strategic threat. Now, let's compare the records of these two countries, Iran has never attacked a neighbour, Israel has repeatedly attacked its neighbours, Iran signed the non-proliferation treaty, Israel has refused to sign. Iran submits to inspection by the international nuclear energy agency, Israel refuses to submit. Iran has no nuclear weapons, Israel has between 75 and 400 nuclear weapons, so Israel poses an existential threat to Iran.