Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
62 | JULY 29 • 2021
Israel’s Long
Fight Against
Nuclear Threats
I
recently wrote about Israel’s
spectacular rescue mission at the
Entebbe airport in 1976. It was
a memorable, historic operation
that inspired movies, books and
massive worldwide
recognition. Five
years later, on June 7,
1981, Israel conducted
another dramatic raid
— “Operation Opera”
— an event with a far-
reaching impact.
“Operation Opera”
was a preemptive strike
that destroyed the Osirak nuclear
plant in Iraq. Eight Israeli fighter jets
flew more than 2,000 miles to bomb
and destroy the unfinished reactor. It
was a most dangerous mission: The
pilots were not sure they would safely
return to Israel. Last month, the IDF
archive opened additional documents
related to the strike, including the
rough sketches that were drawn for
the fighter pilots to simulate what
they would see upon reaching the
reactor. Effective enough but hardly
like the hi-tech images the IDF uses
today.
The story of the strike and its
impact upon the Middle East can be
followed in the William Davidson
Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit
History.
The headline on the front page
of the June 12, 1981, issue of the JN
reads “Israel Staunchly Unanimous on
Right to Pre-Emptive Raid.” Indeed,
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem
Begin acknowledged the strike as an
act of self-defense, that
it was “now or never.”
Moreover, he stated that
Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein would have
had “no hesitation” at
dropping “three or four
or five” nuclear bombs
on Israel.
The JN’s editorial on
July 7, 1981, was “The
Honor of Self-Defense.”
It began with “Israel rendered such
an immense service to humanity
with the Osirak bombing that the
occurrence will continue to dominate
international discussions.” It was an
accurate assessment.
Initially, the raid was condemned
internationally by media and
politicians around the globe. But the
June 19, 1981, headline in the JN was
“Reagan Concedes Israel Raid Was
a Sincere Defensive Act.” President
Ronald Reagan added: “It is difficult
for me to envision Israel as being a
threat to its neighbors.”
Begin did set a significant
precedent. Under an existential threat
since its founding, Israel would take
whatever measures it thought prudent
to protect itself.
Begin’s decision is still relevant
years later. For example, see
“Deterrent” (Sept. 20, 2007, JN). This
analysis addresses the question, “Was
the Israeli Strike in Syria a repeat
of the 1981 Osirak hit?” Israel had
attacked a Syrian nuclear reactor
on Sept. 5-6, 2007. Thirty years
ago, Helen Davis wrote “Nuclear
Explosion” about the Islamic
quest for an atomic bomb (Oct. 4,
1991). Or see the essay “Bomb Iran?”
(Dec. 15, 2005). The Iranian pursuit
of nuclear capability is still a hot and
serious topic.
Davie Ivry, commander of the IDF
in 1981, who directed the airstrike on
the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak,
reached a conclusion that still rings
true: “You cannot eliminate an idea,
a national will. But you can delay
progress on a nuclear program with
the appropriate military action.”
After seeing the effects of the
Iran/Iraqi war, Saddam Hussein’s
dictatorship in Iraq, the actions of
Syrian leaders, and Iran’s promotion
of terrorism with the goal of
destroying Israel, Ivry and Begin
clearly understood the reality of
living in Israel’s neighborhood. And,
the production of nuclear arms is no
longer just a local issue.
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN
Foundation archives, available for free at
www.djnfoundation.org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
It began with “Israel rendered such
an immense service to humanity
Explosion” about the Islamic