The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei has called on Israel to disarm itself of nuclear weapons as part of a Middle East peace plan. In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, El Baradei urged Israel to follow the lead of South Africa which in 1989 because the only country to get rid of its nuclear program. El Baradei also urged Israel to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Although it is widely known Israel has nuclear weapons, the country has never acknowledged this. El Baradei warned that Israel’s current stance is only encouraging a Middle East arms race. He said “My fear is that… there will be continued incentive for the region’s countries to develop weapons of mass destruction to match the Israeli arsenal.”