AP Photo

In 1981, the Israeli Air Force destroyed the Osiraq nuclear reactor, the core of Saddam Hussein's effort to acquire nuclear weapons.

At the time, the UN and most of the world's leaders -- not only the Arabs -- condemned this unilateral use of force and violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

None were willing to acknowledge the failure of the international legal system and their own silence in the face of violations of non-proliferation agreements. Israeli leaders had the responsibility of preventing a power-mad dictator who threatened to blow up half of Israel from getting nuclear weapons.

A few years later, most governments had changed positions, and were thanking Israel for preventing a catastrophe.

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