Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Would Israel take the world with it in its demise?

The escalation in the Middle East

The Israeli nuclear arsenal and the so-called "Samson option" have become increasingly discussed in the context of the escalating situation in the Middle East.

Published 15 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Will nuclear weapons be used as large-scale retaliation if Israel is threatened?
6 minute read

In 1986, Israel’s nuclear weapons program was revealed – although to this day the country’s authorities have refused to acknowledge that it possesses any weapons of mass destruction. Israel’s nuclear arsenal has even been called “the world’s worst-kept secret” and, with French help, began to be developed in great secrecy as early as the 1950s.

Israeli nuclear engineer Mordechai Vanunu was the one who exposed the program in the British press, before he was kidnapped by the Mossad intelligence service, brought back to Israel and spent the next 18 years in an Israeli prison. To this day, Vanunu is banned from leaving the country and has also been sentenced to several short prison terms for “forbidden speech” related to the nuclear weapons program.


This article was originally published on March 18, 2025.


It is difficult to say with certainty how many nuclear weapons Israel actually has. In 2008, former US President Jimmy Carter speculated that at the time there were at least 150 warheads “or more”.

Samson and the Philistines

Closely related to the Israeli nuclear doctrine is the so-called “Samson option” – which refers to Israel’s strategy of retaliation in the event of a major attack on its own country, or in a situation where the very existence of the nation is deemed to be under threat.

The name is taken from the biblical character Samson, who, blinded and captured by the Philistines, finally managed to tear apart the pillars of the temple in which he was held captive – whereupon the roof collapsed, killing not only him, but also thousands of the Philistines who had tormented him.

Samson destroys the Philistine temple. Painting: Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione.

The Samson option, according to many analysts, is something like this – that Israel would respond with large-scale nuclear attacks if its existence were threatened or if, for example, Jerusalem were bombed to pieces.

Threatening Nixon with nuclear weapons

As early as 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israel planned to detonate a nuclear device on a mountain in the Sinai Desert to warn the surrounding Arab states in the area. However, this never materialized, as Israel was able to defeat its opponents through conventional warfare.

During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, it was time again when the then Prime Minister Golda Meir chose to blackmail the US and President Nixon by preparing and threatening to use nuclear weapons against his enemies – unless the US immediately delivered war material and assistance of various kinds. Again, no nuclear bombs were detonated – according to analysts, simply because Nixon agreed to the demands.

Richard Nixon and Golda Meir. Montage. Photo: Willem van de Poll/Nationaal Archief/CC BY-SA 4.0

According to award-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, during the 1970s, Israel considered the Soviet Union as the main threat, and a number of nuclear warheads were also aimed at Soviet cities – while the Soviets had several Israeli cities on their list of potential nuclear targets.

Hersh argues that the nuclear doctrine changed when right-wing leader Menachem Begin took power in 1977, and that an ambition emerged not only to acquire a large number of nuclear weapons to respond to a possible attack, but also with the aim to “use Israeli might to redraw the political map of the Middle East”.

“The power to destroy the world”

After all, the most commonly held view is that the purpose of the so-called Samson option is to destroy or annihilate states that attack Israel. However, others go further and argue that it is instead about “taking revenge on the world” and that Israel, if it perceives an existential threat, wants to cause as much damage and devastation as possible even to countries not directly involved in the attack against them. For example, Jewish professor David Perlmutter of Louisiana State University expressed such a view in the LA Times in 2002.

Israel has been building nuclear weapons for 30 years. The Jews understand what passive and powerless acceptance of doom has meant for them in the past, and they have ensured against it. Masada was not an example to follow – it hurt the Romans not a whit, but Samson in Gaza? What would serve the Jew-hating world better in repayment for thousands of years of massacres but a Nuclear Winter. Or invite all those tut-tutting European statesmen and peace activists to join us in the ovens?” wrote Perlmutter.

For the first time in history, a people facing extermination while the world either cackles or looks away – unlike the Armenians, Tibetans, World War II European Jews or Rwandans – have the power to destroy the world. The ultimate justice?” Perlmutter asked himself further.

“Destroying the pillars of the world”

Jewish writer and journalist Ron Rosenbaum also argues that Israel, in the “aftermath of a second Holocaust”, could not only attack its aggressors but also “bring down the pillars of the world (attack Moscow and European capitals for instance)” on the grounds that anti-Semitism associated with past persecutions in history must be avenged. Even “the holy places of Islam” could be attacked with nuclear weapons in such a situation, according to Rosenbaum, who emphasizes that “abandonment of proportionality is the essence” of the Samson option.

Israeli military historian Martin van Creveld takes a similar line. In the context of the second intifada, he said that Israel had “hundreds of nuclear weapons” – and that these could also be aimed at European capitals, which he said were in the line of fire of the Israeli military.

We possess several hundred atomic warheads and rockets and can launch them at targets in all directions, perhaps even at Rome. Most European capitals are targets for our air force. Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: ‘Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother'”.

I consider it all hopeless at this point. We shall have to try to prevent things from coming to that, if at all possible. Our armed forces, however, are not the thirtieth strongest in the world, but rather the second or third. We have the capability to take the world down with us. And I can assure you that that will happen before Israel goes under”, Mr. van Creveld further declared.

Moshe Dayan (former Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs) said that Israel must act “like a mad dog”. Photo: National Library of Israel/ CC BY 4.0

Jerusalem Post journalist Gil Ronen has also described the Samson option as a way for Israel to annihilate its enemies and “possibly causing irreparable damage to the entire world” in a situation where “Israel faces annihilation”.

Unwavering support from the West?

Since Israeli officials will not even acknowledge that they have nuclear weapons – or how many, it is of course impossible at this stage for the country’s leaders to be clear about their strategy with regard to them. Furthermore, it is of course unlikely that Israel – or any other country for that matter – would admit that it intends to “take the world with it if it falls” – even if that were the case. This is rarely the case, although Russian President Vladimir Putin, for example, admitted during Oliver Stone’s visit to Moscow that he believes a nuclear war between Russia and the United States “would probably have no winners”.

What the Samson option actually means in a “worst case scenario” will be the subject of further discussion – not least as the situation across the Middle East continues to become increasingly risky and escalatory, with Israel now attacking Iranian targets (and vice versa).

Western support for Israel seems unwavering – despite the tens of thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza and alerts from human rights organizations about violations of international law. Can this be explained by historical loyalty to Israel alone? Or is there possibly also a fear somewhere in the picture, a fear that, to quote Moshe Dayan, the country’s political leadership would actually act “like a mad dog” if left to its own devices?

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

Israeli settlers attacked their own military base

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 30 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The extreme settler movement advocates for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and aims to take over the areas where they live.
3 minute read

A large number of extreme Jewish settlers attacked an Israeli military base in the occupied West Bank on Sunday evening. According to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), vehicles were vandalized, property was set on fire, graffiti was sprayed, and soldiers were attacked.

The attack is described as one of the most serious incidents where settlers have turned against their own country’s security forces. The violence follows several similar attacks targeting Palestinian villages and communities, and growing anger over Israeli authorities arresting several of those responsible.

On Wednesday, over 100 settlers invaded the town of Kfar Malik, set fire to property and opened fire on Palestinians trying to defend their homes, according to Najeb Rostom, head of the local council. Three Palestinians were killed after Israeli military intervention. Five settlers were arrested in connection with the attacks.

– No civilized country can tolerate violent and anarchic acts of burning a military facility, damaging IDF property and attacking security personnel by citizens of the country, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Images in Israeli media show young, religious men associated with “hilltop youth”, a militant settler movement long accused of systematically attacking Palestinians and their property. The movement often establishes illegal outposts in the West Bank and has become a symbol of the most violent branch of the settler movement.

“Jewish extremists”

Security forces used stun grenades to disperse the crowd at the military base north of Ramallah, and the military published images of damaged infrastructure, which was reportedly used to prevent attacks and maintain security.

Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Jewish Power party) – himself previously convicted of racist incitement and supporting terror groups – unusually condemned the attack:

– Attacking security forces, security facilities, and IDF soldiers who are our brothers, our protectors, is a red line, and must be dealt with in full severity. We are brothers, he wrote on X.

Opposition leader and centrist Yair Lapid was much more direct:

– These are Jewish terrorists, gangs of criminals, who feel backed by the (governing) coalition, he said on Israel Army Radio.

Settlers attack West Bank’s last Christian village

Ben-Gvir has long defended settler violence, and his influence has grown under Netanyahu’s leadership. Critics argue this has legitimized increasingly extreme violence – even directed at the country’s own authorities.

Defense Minister Israel Katz promised to crack down on the violence and urged settlers to immediately start respecting their own country’s soldiers.

Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. Palestinians claim these areas for a future state. Today, about three million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, but the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law.

Recently, The Nordic Times reported how residents in the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank warned about constant shooting from militant settlers. The newspaper has also highlighted how settlers openly advocate for complete ethnic cleansing in Gaza and consider even Palestinian children to be terrorists.

Sweden Democrats leader supports continued strikes on Iran

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 27 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
According to the leader of the Sweden Democrats it is fundamentally positive if the bombings continue - and escalate - so that the Iranian regime falls.
3 minute read

Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats party, supports the US and Israeli attacks against Iran – and would like to see more of the regime’s leaders eliminated through continued bombing.

– I believe this is the only way to achieve political change within any reasonable time frame, he claims.

During an appearance at Almedalen Week (an annual Swedish political forum) in Visby, he commented to Swedish news agency TT about the American bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.

– It has both positive and negative aspects. And we’ll have to see what happens. But fundamentally, I think it’s good.

According to the Sweden Democrats leader, “evil must be fought with harsh measures”, and he assesses that the Iranian regime has been significantly weakened by the attacks.

His hope is that the bombings will continue – but with a focus on eliminating leading representatives of the Iranian state – the same approach advocated by Netanyahu’s government and Israel’s military.

– The best outcome would be to follow through with this to achieve change in Iran after almost 50 years of oppression.

– Now they have primarily destroyed these nuclear facilities, which is of course very good. But certainly, continued bombing, continuing to eliminate leaders of this Islamist regime, that’s a very effective way to bring about change.

“Israel is defending itself”

Regarding the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Åkesson also gives his support to Netanyahu and Israel’s actions, claiming that the Israeli regime is acting in a way that is directly necessary and “doing what needs to be done”.

– Of course, this should be done within the framework of international law. Israel isn’t perfect, they’ve surely made mistakes in various contexts, but overall, the right to self-defense is completely reasonable, he says and continues:

– They’re defending themselves in a war not against a state but against a terrorist organization that doesn’t follow any international laws of war.

“Seems more loyal to Israel than to Sweden”

However, not everyone is impressed by Åkesson’s nearly unlimited support for Israel, and Gustav Kasselstrand, leader of the nationalist party Alternative for Sweden, writes on X that “Åkesson seems more loyal to Israel than to Sweden”.

“Now he wants to see a new globalist war in the Middle East, this time against a sovereign state like Iran – which hasn’t attacked another country throughout its existence. But the regime must be changed as it disturbs American-Israeli interests in the region, and it should preferably be done with bombs; as if we don’t have enough horrific examples when this was done in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya”, he notes.

Kasselstrand, who has a background as chairman of the Sweden Democrats’ youth organization, also points out that the wars and regime change operations in the Middle East have almost without exception resulted in massive refugee flows and Muslim mass immigration to Europe – phenomena that the Sweden Democrats themselves claim they want to stop.

“How can it be ‘fighting Islamism’ to start a new devastating war with gigantic refugee flows of Muslims entering Europe?” he asks.

Fury from Israel lobby as Trump halts bombing campaign

Donald Trump's USA

Published 25 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Emily Shrader, an American political activist, has long worked to expand U.S. support for Israel and advocate for regime change in Iran.
3 minute read

Donald Trump’s harsh criticism of Israel and his call for the country to stop bombing Iranian targets has not been well received by the influential and bellicose Israel lobby.

American-Israeli opinion maker and lobbyist Emily Schrader is one of those calling for the hostilities to continue, going so far as to claim that Trump “is in bed with Qatar”.

Although the stated goal of the Israeli and then US attacks on Iran was initially claimed to be to eliminate the country’s ability to develop nuclear weapons, a long line of Israeli and neoconservative American voices have quickly shifted focus and are now demanding that the Iranian regime be overthrown – with US help.

After Trump criticized Israel in harsh terms and ordered the country’s military to stop bombing Iran, the Israeli lobby’s anger was not long in coming – and several of the figures who recently praised Trump for bombing Iranian nuclear facilities are now trying to discredit the president and portray him as an enemy.

One of those most upset that Trump has taken a stand against Israel’s bombing is Emily Schrader, who has long been involved in two issues: overthrowing and replacing the Iranian regime and increasing US support for Israel.

The lobbyist, who has both US and Israeli citizenship, claims that Trump “is in bed with Qatar” because he has demanded that the bombings stop.

“It must be done”

She also states that Iran’s leadership must be overthrown – and claims that no other alternatives are acceptable.

“The only way to ensure peace in the region is a regime change in Iran. It doesn’t have to be done through war, but it must be done. Trump is painfully naive as to the ideology and motivating factors of the Islamic regime in Iran”, she claims.

In another angry post, she claims that “In the last 24 hours, Donald Trump guaranteed a future war”.

“They’ll discard and mock him”

Critics point out that the Israel lobby is never satisfied – regardless of the concessions and efforts the US makes to appease Tel Aviv – and that they are only interested in supporting Trump if they can exploit him for their own purposes.

“Trump literally bombed Iran – he did that! – for this country’s government. The next day, if he doesn’t obey the next order they make up for him to do, Netanyahuists say he’s part of the Qatar World Conspiracy”, says Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative.

“If this isn’t evidence they’ll discard and mock him once he’s no longer president and they’ve used him, nothing is”, he continues.

The Nordic Times has previously highlighted the remarkable influence of the Israel lobby over American politics – and, among other things, pointed out how AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel lobby group, openly boasted during the last election that almost all the candidates they had financed won their respective elections.

“AIPAC endorsed 362 candidates and won in every primary we had a candidate on the ballot! We helped our friends win and defeated 11 anti-Israel candidates”, they proudly declared.

Middle East expert: Trump starting to realize Israel doesn’t want peace

Donald Trump's USA

Published 25 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Trump needs to understand that Israel will never prioritize US interests first, observes Trita Parsi.
5 minute read

President Donald Trump is beginning to realize that Israel does not want peace – but is doing everything it can to drag the US into a major war with Iran. This is the conclusion of Middle East expert and political scientist Trita Parsi.

“If Trump wants peace and for the US and Iran to strike a deal, he has no choice but to FORCE Israel to accept that America has to put America first”, he emphasizes.

In a widely shared video clip on social media, President Donald Trump launches a fierce attack on Israel shortly after the country intensified its bombing of Tehran just hours after Trump announced that the parties had agreed to a ceasefire.

– Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out, and they dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel. When I say, ‘Okay, now you have 12 hours’, you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So, I’m not happy with them.

– I’m not happy with Iran either. But I’m really unhappy if Israel’s going out this morning because of one rocket that didn’t land that was shot, perhaps by mistake, that didn’t land. I’m not happy about that. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the [bleep] they’re doing. Do you understand that? said the visibly upset president to a journalist.

Even on his own platform, Truth Social, Trump sharpened his tone toward the Israelis and ordered them to stop the bombings.

“Israel. Do not drop those bombs. If you do it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!” he wrote.

Photo: facsimile/Trump/Truth Social

Continued bombing

In a later post, Trump claimed that “Israel is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘plane wave’ to Iran”.

“Nobody will be hurt, the ceasefire is in effect”, he promised.

Shortly thereafter, however, Iranian news agencies reported that Israel had carried out attacks in the western part of the country. According to ISNA, explosions were heard near the cities of Babol and Babolsar, while the Mehr news agency said the projectiles struck an empty, uninhabited area.

Israeli officials told The Times of Israel that the IDF had carried out “a minor strike” against an Iranian radar north of Tehran in response to an earlier attack by Iran.

“The US must put its own interests first”

Swedish-Iranian political scientist and Middle East expert Trita Parsi has reacted to Trump’s tone towards his closest ally and believes that Trump seems to be beginning to understand that Israel is not interested in creating peace in the region – and will do everything it can to drag the US into the war.

“Trump is also starting to discover the core of the problem: Israel doesn’t want peace and doesn’t want to allow the US to stay out of the war Israel unnecessarily started. If Trump wants peace and for the US and Iran to strike a deal, he has no choice but to force Israel to accept that America has to put America first “, he writes on X, continuing:

“If he doesn’t, Netanyahu will make sure that Trump puts Israel first and drags the US into an endless war with Iran. There are no other choices”.

In an interview with Democracy Now, Parsi elaborates on his reasoning. He believes that Trump is very frustrated that Israel is ignoring US directives and doing everything it can to escalate the conflict – and ensure that the US also intensifies its military involvement.

Israel wants to continue this war. Israel wants only unilateral ceasefires in which it is allowed to continue to bomb the countries in question. That’s exactly what it has done in Gaza, that’s what it has done in Lebanon, and they wanted the same thing here. And they wanted to make sure that the United States could not keep itself out of the war that Israel unnecessarily started, Parsi assesses.

Believes Trump has genuine intentions

He believes that Trump is genuine in his desire to reach a sustainable ceasefire agreement and put an end to the fighting – but that the president has chosen the wrong path and methods.

I think he was genuine about getting the ceasefire, staying out of this. We have seen the revolt that has taken place in large parts of his own base. And now, he’s discovering that the Israelis, at the end of the day, wanted to drag him to this point in order to keep him in the war, not allow him to get out of the war or not allowing a peace or a ceasefire to break out.

Initially, the bombing campaign against Iran was said to be about preventing the country from acquiring nuclear weapons – a message repeated by neoconservatives and Israeli voices for over 40 years.

However, Israeli representatives and Republicans soon began declaring that the Iranian regime must be overthrown, by force if necessary, and replaced with a more pro-Israel and Western-friendly government. Even Trump has expressed support on social media for forcing regime change in Iran, which has led to harsh criticism from his own voter base.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.