Israel's prime minister abruptly called off a trip to Washington just days before he was slated to attend a conference there on the spread of nuclear weapons, officials in his office said Friday, fearing Israel would be singled out over its own nuclear program. Benjamin Netanyahu had said he would attend the conference to underline the dangers of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons, but suddenly called off the trip less than two days after he announced he would take part. Officials in his office said Netanyahu reversed himself because some nations planned to use the conference to target Israel over its barely concealed nuclear weapons program. They spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made. In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer confirmed that Israel had informed the US that Netanyahu would be staying home, sending his deputy, Dan Meridor, instead. A visit by Netanyahu to Washington could also have served to bring additional attention to Israel's currently rocky ties with US. President Barack Obama's national security adviser, James Jones, said Israel did not want to be a catalyst for changing the theme of the summit but will still have a “robust” delegation there. Israel has not admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, preferring a policy it calls “ambiguity.” Based on evidence, international experts have estimated that Israel has hundreds of nuclear bombs. The most detailed evidence emerged in 1986, when a former technician at Israel's main nuclear facility leaked pictures and information to the London Sunday Times. – AP The technician, Mordechai Vanunu, was captured and served an 18-year prison sentence in Israel.
