Germany secretly funded much of Israel’s Dimona nuclear project, report claims

Sunday 15 March 2026 - 15:00

A recent report suggests that West Germany played a covert financial role in the development of Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor in the Negev Desert. According to the investigation, from 1961 to 1973, Bonn transferred approximately 140–160 million German marks annually to Israel through secret loan arrangements, totaling nearly 2 billion marks (around €5 billion today). A repayment agreement in 1989 reportedly converted much of the loan into an effective grant.

The report notes that while French technical support was publicly acknowledged, German funding was largely clandestine. Key moments in the secret cooperation included a 1957 meeting in Bonn between Shimon Peres and West German officials, and a pivotal 1960 discussion in New York between Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

The funding, officially disguised as development aid for the Negev, facilitated not only the construction of the nuclear reactor but also broader Israeli defense projects, including submarine purchases and military equipment acquisition.

This revelation highlights the complex intersection of post-Holocaust diplomacy, Cold War strategic interests, and Israel’s early nuclear ambitions, shedding light on one of the least publicly recognized aspects of its nuclear history.