Following a mid-March visit to Israel by CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear that he considers the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to be of no use in the Middle East, the sources said, but by contrast Israel considers the CTBT to be “very significant,” is “proud” to have signed it, and “has never had a problem with the CTBT,” according to a report in The Times of Israel.
Zerbo held talks with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz, and the head of the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission Shaul Chorev. Israel has signed but not ratified the CTBT.
Israel is “probably the one that could ratify first” out of the eight Annex 2 countries that must ratify the treaty before it takes effect, Zerbo told The Times of Israel on March 19. "The message I'm getting is not 'if' but 'when,' Zerbo said.