For the 1991 book, see The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy.
Israel's deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons
Samson Option
According to the biblical narrative, Samson died when he grasped two pillars of the Temple of Dagon, and "bowed himself with all his might" (Judges 16:30, KJV). This has been variously interpreted as Samson pushing the pillars apart (top) or pulling them together (bottom).
The Samson Option (Hebrew: ברירת שמשון, b'rerat shimshon) is Israel's deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against a country whose military has invaded and/or destroyed much of Israel.[1] Commentators also have employed the term to refer to situations where non-nuclear, non-Israeli actors have threatened conventional weapons retaliation, such as Yasser Arafat.[2]
The name is a reference to the biblical Israelite judge Samson who pushed apart the pillars of a Philistine temple, bringing down the roof and killing himself and thousands of Philistines who had captured him.[3][4]
^"Strategic Doctrine". Global Security. April 28, 2005.
^Keinon, Herb (2002-01-31), "Selling the 'Samson option'", The Jerusalem post, archived from the original on 2004-06-23
^Hersh 1991, pp. 137.
^Beres, Louis René (16 November 2018). "Israel and the "Samson Option" in an Interconnected World". Modern War Institute. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
SamsonOption The SamsonOption (Hebrew: ברירת שמשון, b'rerat shimshon) is Israel's deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as...
country in the Middle East believed to possess nuclear weapons. The SamsonOption refers to Israel's deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear...
allegations during a press conference in London held to publicize The SamsonOption, Hersh's book about Israel's nuclear weapons. On 21 October 1991, Labour...
Sanju Viswanath Samson (/ˌsʌndʒu sæmsən/ ; born 11 November 1994) is an Indian international cricketer, who Captains Kerala in domestic cricket and Rajasthan...
to portray the Soviets as deliberate murderers of civilians. In The SamsonOption (1991), Hersh chronicled the history of Israel's nuclear weapon program...
Apollo plant] but for the nuclear material.” In his 1991 book, The SamsonOption, Seymour Hersh concluded that Shapiro did not divert any uranium; rather...
(2006) Reaction Time: Climate Change and the Nuclear Option (2007) Red Jihad (2012) The SamsonOption: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy...
Israel Really Have a Thermonuclear Weapon?". Hersh, Seymour M. The SamsonOption: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy. New York: Random...
the United Kingdom § Nuclear weapons control Operation Looking Glass SamsonOption Trident nuclear programme Nuclear football Cheget The United Kingdom...
weapons. Transaction Publishers, 2009. p. 161. Hersh, Seymour. The SamsonOption: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy Archived 5 March...
1016/j.futures.2009.07.009. S2CID 144553194. Hersh, Seymour (1991). The SamsonOption. Random House. p. 130. ISBN 0-394-57006-5. Albright, David. "South Africa's...
Archived from the original on 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2007-10-20.> The Samsonoption: Israel's nuclear arsenal and American foreign policy, Hersh, Seymour...
assured destruction On Thermonuclear War (book) Operation Looking Glass SamsonOption Space Cowboys (film) UVB-76, a Russian numbers station sometimes rumoured...
cost tantamount to defeat Rational choice theory – Sociological theory SamsonOption – Israel's deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons...
NSC 162/2 Nuclear peace Peace through strength Proportionality (law) SamsonOption Weapon of mass destruction Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal...
Young, American Bomb in Britain, p. 195. Hersh, Seymour M. (1991). The SamsonOption: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy. New York: Random...
Post–Cold War Deterrence Mutual assured destruction Nuclear terrorism SamsonOption Doomsday Clock "FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1950, KOREA...
December 2012. "Doctrine", Israel, FAS. Hersh, Seymour M. (1991). The SamsonOption: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal & American Foreign Policy. New York: Random...
conducted by Armenians in the 1920s in response to the Armenian genocide. SamsonOption Selective assassination Special Activities Center Targeted killing Reeve...
Books. 51 (8). Retrieved 8 December 2007. Hersh, Seymour (1991). The Samsonoption: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy. Random House...
counter-terrorism operations. Israel and weapons of mass destruction SamsonOption Dahiya doctrine Preemptive war Project Daniel members The final report...
very existence is threatened, some speculate that Israel would use a "SamsonOption", a "last resort" deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear...