Summary
Israeli intellectual (1902–1975), a former Mapai member, who led the early-1960s public opposition to Israel’s nuclear project and was silenced by military censorship, as reconstructed by Zionist Israel and the Question of Palestine from Avner Cohen (Zionist Israel and the Question of Palestine, PDF p.128-129 / printed p.119-120).
Details
- Livneh’s article “The Last Warning” (Haaretz, January 12, 1962) warned that a security doctrine based on nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles would “nuclearize” the Middle East conflict (PDF p.128).
- He founded a group including Martin Buber, Efreim Orbach [as printed] and Yeshayahu Leibowitz which petitioned the government against introducing nuclear weapons into the region; the Ministry of Defense gave no official reply, portrayed the group as a danger to security, and had its announced press conference cancelled through pressure on the Israeli Journalists’ Association (PDF p.128).
- In the summer of 1962 the group founded the “Committee for the Nuclear Disarmament of the Middle East”, arguing the acquisition and its secrecy policy were undemocratic and that even technically superior weapons could not be kept advantageous permanently; Livneh was “summoned and warned by government representatives that he could be indicted” (PDF p.128-129).
Related pages
Policy of Opacity, Avner Cohen, Dimona, Zionist Israel and the Question of Palestine