An Examination of Israel's Coercive Methods to Prevent Nuclear Proliferation

Öz

One of the most significant developments concerning Israel’s national security is the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region. The acquisition of nuclear weapons by states that reject Israel’s existence would not only break Israel’s nuclear power monopoly in the region but also pose an existential threat to Israel. To prevent such a situation, Israel employs various methods to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region. In this study, Israel’s use of these legally controversial coercive methods to prevent the nuclearization of adversaries was examined. These methods encompass various military and intelligence activities including assassinations of various scientists, sabotage and bomb attacks to render the nuclear infrastructure unusable, military operations to completely destroy nuclear facilities, and cyber attacks to damage nuclear studies at a programmatic level. The study concludes that Israel has engaged in a number of coercive actions to prevent the nuclear activities of hostile actors in the region. These actions, which are highly controversial in terms of international law and legitimacy, have often slowed down, if not stopped, the target country’s nuclear program. Moreover, the findings of the study indicate that Israel will not give up on implementing similar actions to undermine the nuclear activities of states it perceives as enemies in order to maintain its nuclear monopoly, ensure its security, and expand its strategic area.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Israel
• Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
• International Security
• Middle East

İsrail’in Nükleer Silahların Yayılmasını Önlemeye Yönelik Uyguladığı Zorlayıcı Yöntemler Üzerine Bir İnceleme

Öz

İsrail’i ulusal güvenliğini korumak bağlamında endişelendirecek en önemli gelişmelerden biri bölgede nükleer silahlanmanın gerçekleşmesidir. Özellikle İsrail’in varlığını kabul etmeyen devletlerin nükleer silahlanma yeteneklerini elde etmesi hem İsrail’in bölgede elinde tuttuğu nükleer güç tekelini kıracak hem de İsrail açısından varoluşsal tehdit olarak değerlendirilebilecek bir durum oluşturacaktır. Böyle bir durumun yaşanmaması için İsrail, nükleer silahların bölgede yayılmasını önlemek amacıyla çeşitli yöntemler uygulamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, İsrail’in rakiplerinin nükleer silahlanmasını engellemek için hukuken tartışmalı olan bu zorlayıcı yöntemler incelenmiştir. Bu yöntemler arasında çeşitli bilim insanlarına yönelik düzenlenen suikast eylemleri, nükleer alt yapıyı kullanılamaz hâle getirmek için yapılan sabotaj ve bombalı saldırılar, nükleer tesisleri komple yok etmek için icra edilen askerî harekatlar ve nükleer çalışmaların programsal düzeyde zarar görmesi için siber saldırı düzenlenmesi gibi çeşitli askerî ve istihbarat faaliyetleri yer almaktadır. Çalışmada İsrail’in bölgede düşman aktörlerin nükleer çalışmalarını engellemek için birtakım zorlayıcı eylemler icra ettiği, uluslararası hukuk ve meşruiyet açısından oldukça tartışmalı olan bu tür faaliyetlerin hedef ülkenin nükleer programını çoğunlukla durduramasa da yavaşlattığı sonucuna varılmıştır. Bununla birlikte, çalışmanın bulguları İsrail’in nükleer tekelini sürdürmek, güvenliğini sağlamak ve stratejik alanını genişletmek için düşman olarak algıladığı devletlerin nükleer faaliyetlerine zarar vermek amacıyla benzeri eylemleri uygulamaktan vazgeçmeyeceğine işaret etmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• İsrail
• Nükleer Silahların Yayılması
• Uluslararası Güvenlik
• Orta Doğu

Kaynakça

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