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June 10, 1981

Letter from Israeli General Rafael Eitan to South African Minister Magnus Malan on Israeli Airstrike on Iraqi Nuclear Reactor

This document was made possible with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)

Chief of Staff of Israel Defense Forces, General Rafael Eitan writes to South African Minister of Defence Magnus Malan shortly after Israel’s 1981 strike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. In this candid letter, Eitan states that Israel’s “iron determination” would not “allow these crazy Arabs to possess nuclear weapons," adding that "anyone who tries to say that the nuclear reactor in Iraq was only for research purposes is wicked, cynical and oil, not human blood, flows in his veins."

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Document Information

Source

South African Defence Forces Archive, MV 56/17 Vol. 3. Obtained and contributed by Sasha Polakow-Suransky.

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Original Uploaded Date

2013-01-07

Type

Letter

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Record ID

116076

Donors

Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)