Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated Monday that his country will ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) when the time is right, although he did not offer specifics on those circumstances.
Following a meeting Monday in Jerusalem with Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBT Organization, Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying Israeli ratification of the treaty “depends on the regional context and the appropriate timing.” The treaty would prohibit explosive nuclear testing that is key in the development of nuclear weapons.
The CTBTO released a statement titled “working on the ‘when’ of Israel’s ratification” that highlighted the high-level meeting and noted that Israel signed the treaty in 1996, on the second day it was opened for signature.
The Associated Press reported Monday that Zerbo indicated in an interview that “Netanyahu considers the issue of ratifying the treaty a matter of ‘when, rather than if.’”
Israel is among the last eight of the so-called “Annex 2” nations that still must ratify the treaty for it to enter into force. The others are the United States, China, Egypt, Iran, India, North Korea, and Pakistan.
Israel is also the only Middle Eastern state to possess nuclear weapons, though it neither confirms nor denies the existence of the arsenal.
Over 120 delegations met last week in Vienna, Austria, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the CTBT and renew the call for global ratification.
