Two stories on Israel are currently in the news.

Firstly, the Guardian reports that documents have been located that prove the Israel has nuclear weapons. And how do they know this - because Israel wanted to sell nuclear weapons to the South African apartheid regime.

The "top secret" minutes of meetings between senior officials from the two countries in 1975 show that South Africa's defence minister, PW Botha, asked for the warheads and Shimon Peres, then Israel's defence minister and now its president, responded by offering them "in three sizes". The two men also signed a broad-ranging agreement governing military ties between the two countries that included a clause declaring that "the very existence of this agreement" was to remain secret.

So much for non-proliferation, eh? Makes you wonder who else they offered nuclear weapons to.

The second is that Israel was behind the fake Australian passports used in Dubai earlier this year. SMH reports:

In a statement to the Parliament Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said an investigation by the Australian Federal Police, ASIO and ASIS left the government in no doubt that the sophisticated forgery was the work of a state, namely Israel.

And the punishment for Israel? A diplomat gets sent home. Ooo - so harsh.