Israeli nuclear complex 'very pretty' inside

04 January 2008

[Associated Press, 2 January] The Israel Atomic Energy Commission has shown footage of the interior of the Dimona nuclear complex at a jobs fair at Ben Gurion University. Nili Lifshitz, a spokeswoman for the commission, said that while no sensitive material was shown, "we showed footage to show the place is very pretty inside and that regular people work there." She added, "This year a lot people are retiring at once and the demand for engineers and physics experts is very high and so we decided to shown the film to compete with other companies." The film included shots of the nuclear compound lit up at night, a production line for equipment used in nuclear medicine and a radiation detector. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons - probably developed at the Dimona facility - although the country has neither confirmed nor denied it has them. The country does not have a civilian nuclear power program. Officially, the Dimona facility and a smaller reactor in Soreq are for research purposes.

Further information

Israel Atomic Energy Commission

WNA's Iran, North Korea & Iraq - Implications for Safeguards : Appendix to Safeguards information paper

WNN: Israel reconsiders Negev nuclear plant
WNN: Israel considers nuclear energy

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