According to Ma’ariv<\/em><\/a>, the administration is now denying visas to Israeli nuclear scientists associated with the Dimona research facility:<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Dimona nuclear reactor\u2019s employees have told Israel\u2019s Maariv daily that they have been having problems recently getting visas to the United States where they have for years attended seminars in\u00a0 Chemistry, Physics and Nuclear Engineering. They also complain of being treated in an \u2018insulting manner\u2019 by President Obama\u2019s people. Until recently, employees of the Nuclear Research Center routinely traveled to the United States for seminars and courses.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But reactor employees also complain of an American refusal to sell them reactor components that have routinely been sold to them by the United States.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the same time, the administration is prepared to allow<\/a> Turkey and Egypt hijack a conference aimed at nuclear non-proliferation to terrorists with demands that Israel sign the non-proliferation treaty.\u00a0 Prime Minister Netanyahu has canceled a planned trip to Washington over the decision, apparently in violation of previous administration assurances (expiration date, April 8, 2010), with Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor leading the delegation instead.<\/p>\n

Some of us have feared that the price of administration action against Iran’s nuclear program would be administration action against Israel’s.\u00a0 The pretext for such a position would, of course, be garnering Islamic support for moves against Iran, as though the Arabs and Turkey weren’t equally worried about Iran getting a bomb.\u00a0 Naturally, they see an opportunity to use administration disdain for Israel to score a major diplomatic victory.\u00a0 Since an Iranian bomb would pose an existential threat to many of these regimes, they would seem to be gambling that 1) the administration will crack, and act against Iran even with Israel signing the NPT, or 2) that Israel will crack, and make its program open to international inspection.<\/p>\n

UPDATE: The White House is denying<\/a> that there has been a change in visa policy.\u00a0 Value White House denials accordingly.
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