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Greenpeace activists stripped in front of Israeli President Peres, calling to “Strip the Middle-East of nuclear technology”
November 22, 2007
Stripped activists calling on Shimon Peres to strip the Middle-East of nuclear technology
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The activists exposed themselves seconds before the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, started his speech in the Tel-Aviv University. Greenpeace activists opened three big banners reading "Strip the Middle East of Nuclear Technology" and "A New Middle East = Nukes Free Middle East ".
The activists performed this protest due to the fact that such an important and relevant conference was not balance, by not including voices which question the legitimacy of nuclear technology as such . The Greenpeace activists called on the Israeli government to help reduce the nuclear tension in the area and join the international community by restricting the introduction of nuclear technology into the region. The activists demanded to ask questions and doubt the security restricted approach of the conference and demanded a real debate regarding the options of reduction of the nuclear tension in the Middle-East.
"We asked the organizers of the conference to a have an unbiase and a more balanced panel to discuss the real nuclear challenges in the Middle East, instead of having a panel full of ‘security’ specialists, only justifying the Israeli need for nuclear weapons", said Sharon Dolev, Greenpeace Mediterranean Disarmament campaigner in Israel.
"If this conference pretends to be a real academic debate on the nuclear issues, as we would like to expect from the Tel- Aviv University, they should have taken under consideration a variety of voices on the matter.”
"Our message today is loud and clear", added Dolev, "there is no place for nuclear weapons in the Middle East which is proned to conflict to begin with. There is an immediate need for finding a way of regional discussion and agreement between the countries in the Middle-East. There is no need to hold on to the traditional Israeli approach of having nuclear bomb in order to exist. The Israeli ambiguity policy, which is considered in Israel as a serene and measured approach, is interpreted in the rest of the world as aggressive and childish.
“The reality we are living in has changed drastically. Nowdays Israel is not the only country toying with a nuclear program. In addition to the Iranian nuclear ambitions, we are witnessing an abundance of Arab countries moving towards the start of a nuclear program (amongst them: Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Tunisia).
Greenpeace calls the on Israeli and Arab leaders to open a real and fully regional dialogue towards the creation of a Nuclear-Free Middle-East.
After being taken out from the conference hall by security, the activists joined an alternative conference which was held outside the auditorium, where different opinions for demilitarization the Middle East where held, using an exhibit of Chernobyl survivors.
The activists performed this protest due to the fact that such an important and relevant conference was not balance, by not including voices which question the legitimacy of nuclear technology as such . The Greenpeace activists called on the Israeli government to help reduce the nuclear tension in the area and join the international community by restricting the introduction of nuclear technology into the region. The activists demanded to ask questions and doubt the security restricted approach of the conference and demanded a real debate regarding the options of reduction of the nuclear tension in the Middle-East.
"We asked the organizers of the conference to a have an unbiase and a more balanced panel to discuss the real nuclear challenges in the Middle East, instead of having a panel full of ‘security’ specialists, only justifying the Israeli need for nuclear weapons", said Sharon Dolev, Greenpeace Mediterranean Disarmament campaigner in Israel.
"If this conference pretends to be a real academic debate on the nuclear issues, as we would like to expect from the Tel- Aviv University, they should have taken under consideration a variety of voices on the matter.”
"Our message today is loud and clear", added Dolev, "there is no place for nuclear weapons in the Middle East which is proned to conflict to begin with. There is an immediate need for finding a way of regional discussion and agreement between the countries in the Middle-East. There is no need to hold on to the traditional Israeli approach of having nuclear bomb in order to exist. The Israeli ambiguity policy, which is considered in Israel as a serene and measured approach, is interpreted in the rest of the world as aggressive and childish.
“The reality we are living in has changed drastically. Nowdays Israel is not the only country toying with a nuclear program. In addition to the Iranian nuclear ambitions, we are witnessing an abundance of Arab countries moving towards the start of a nuclear program (amongst them: Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Tunisia).
Greenpeace calls the on Israeli and Arab leaders to open a real and fully regional dialogue towards the creation of a Nuclear-Free Middle-East.
After being taken out from the conference hall by security, the activists joined an alternative conference which was held outside the auditorium, where different opinions for demilitarization the Middle East where held, using an exhibit of Chernobyl survivors.
Seven months ago Greenpeace launched a unique report dealing with the nuclear dangers and scenarios that the citizens of Israel, Turkey and Iran are facing. The report dealt with the possibility of having a nuclear disaster in Israel- turning the all country to a nuclear hazard non suitable for human life.
