Germany Funded Israel's Nuclear Program

Historical Clues Indicate: Germany Secretly Funded Israel's Nuclear Program Gift this article Share to Facebook Share to X Print article Article printing is available to subscribers only Print in a simple, ad-free format Subscribe Comments: Save Zen Reading Zen reading is available to subscribers only Ad-free and in a comfortable reading format Subscribe Konrad Adenauer and David Ben-Gurion. Whether or not the German chancellor grasped the significance of Israel's request for funds, it was clear to him that the understandings reached had to be kept under wraps. Credit: imago images/Sven Simon via Reuters For 12 years, via completely secret channels, the German chancellor funneled the equivalent of 20 billion shekels to Israel. The goal: to fund its Dimona nuclear reactor and secure the country's future Uri Bar-Joseph Follow March 13, 2026 Since December 1960, when the existence of a nuclear reactor in the Negev city of Dimona was no longer a secret, countless books and articles have been published regarding this sensitive project – which Israel, with impressive obstinacy, still clouds with ambiguity. The most important of these works, Avner Cohen's 1998 book, "Israel and the Bomb," laid the groundwork, upon which other important researchers – such as Seymour Hersh, Zaki Shalom and Adam Raz – based their extensive works. In 2024, investigative journalist Shany Haziza created an excellent documentary series, "The Atom and Me," which put a human face on the project. Loading... Click the alert icon to follow topics: Germany Israel nuclear Comments Loading... In the News In the News: Israeli Soldier Israel-Iran War Live Updates Death Penalty Israel Budget Palm Sunday IDF-CNN Netanyahu-Orban HaQuiz Haaretz Podcast Remembering and rebuilding two years later ICYMI