Image for First Strike: Menachem Begin and the Osirak Nuclear Reactor

In 1981, Israel launched a daring strike on the Iraqi nuclear reactor in Osirak. The successful attack was lauded by Israelis but condemned by the international community, including the Reagan administration. The next day, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin ran a remarkable press conference in which he defended the preventative strike, invoking both morals and Jewish history. In this seminar, we’ll explore his arguments and the controversies over preemptive and preventative warfare.

Click here to download

Brody Osirak_(37)