---
title: "Israel wanted to sell SA nukes – 35 years ago"
description: "Newly released documents from South Africa for the first time provided proof positive that Israel has had nuclear warheads for more than three decades. Minutes of a meeting between PW Botha, then minister of defence, and his then-counterpart Shimon Peres, shows that an in-principle agreement was reached in 1975 for Israel to sell nuclear weapons to SA, though the deal was never consumated. The Guardian"
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Politics"
author: "Incorrect Author"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/incorrectauthoryetassigned/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2010-05-24-israel-wanted-to-sell-sa-nukes-35-years-ago/"
published: "2010-05-24T00:00:00"
updated: "2013-02-01T20:01:29"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 1
---

# Israel wanted to sell SA nukes – 35 years ago

> Newly released documents from South Africa for the first time provided proof positive that Israel has had nuclear warheads for more than three decades. Minutes of a meeting between PW Botha, then minister of defence, and his then-counterpart Shimon Peres, shows that an in-principle agreement was reached in 1975 for Israel to sell nuclear weapons to SA, though the deal was never consumated. [The Guardian](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/23/israel-south-africa-nuclear-weapons)

By Incorrect Author · Published 24 May 2010, 02:00 SAST · Updated 1 February 2013, 22:01 SAST

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