A Comprehensive Israeli Concept for a WMD/DVs-Free Zone in the Middle East/Gulf

Policy Forum GCSP

A Comprehensive Israeli Concept for a WMD/DVs-Free Zone in the Middle East/Gulf

Presented at the Side-Event Organised by APOME, DSF, FES, and GCSP, NPT PrepCom Geneva, 26 April 2018

By Shemuel Meir

Attempts to achieve a zone free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD-Free Zone) in the Middle East have become even more complicated than in the past. This Policy Forum issue provides a fresh look at the topic in order to offer common ground for positive discussions on Middle East disarmament. Its main novelty is to look at the security threat as perceived by Israel in the context of an Israeli-Egyptian-Iranian triangle that complements the old paradigm of an Israeli-Egyptian dyad. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or agreement/accord) with Iran is a challenge for some regional actors but at the same time could form a basis for bridging the disarmament gap, especially with its unprecedented robust verification regime. From a purely strategic angle, the JCPOA is beneficial to Israel’s national security interests. It is therefore to be hoped that this multilateral agreement will withstand the Donald Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle it.