Israel, Allies Fend off International Censure Israel and its allies have fended off an Arab-led attempt to censure the Jewish state's refusal to acknowledge that it possesses nuclear weapons. The Jewish state is overwhelmingly considered to possess such arms but declines to confirm it. Its Arab neighbors say Israel's nuclear weapons threaten peace in the Middle East and miss few international opportunities to criticize it on that account. The latest Arab move against Israel was fended off Friday as 54 nations voted against a resolution expressing concern about Israel's "nuclear capabilities" at a meeting of the U.N's International Atomic Energy Agency. The resolution also urged Israel to open its atomic program to international perusal. Supporting the notion were 43 IAEA member nations, while 32 others abstained.