Israel admits to testing anthrax vaccine on troops & Treated its soldiers as guinea pigs

These two articles, one from Press TV (Iran) and the other from YNet News (Israel) describe the same Israeli program to test anthrax vaccine.

You will have to judge for yourself the truth of the matter.

Hajja Romi

Israel admits to testing anthrax vaccine on troops

Cleared for publication: Defense Ministry admits to experimenting on 716 IDF soldiers during secret research project without disclosing full details; defense official: Israel now possesses anthrax vaccine that can protect entire population

Hanan Greenberg

Israel has admitted to developing a vaccine against anthrax, fearing it might be used as a bio-weapon by enemy nations against civilians, and tested it on IDF soldiers.

The story was cleared for publication Wednesday evening by the High Court of Justice. The research project, codenamed "Omer 2," was kept secret for many years.

"Once we face a substantial threat, we would be able to vaccinate all citizens, ranging from babies to the elderly, and protect them against the virus," a senior defense source told Ynet.

Chemical weapons drill in US (Archive photo: AP)

The Israeli research project, which included the participation of experts from Israel and abroad, got underway in the early 1990s. Over the years, American military and medical officials took part in the process and the first experiments were undertaken in the US. At the end of the research and development project, a decision was taken to produce the vaccine in Israel and look into its effect on civilians.

Israeli medical and defense officials said the research adhered to the highest standards.

'Project of trategic importance'

The defense establishment's anthrax research was presented to 4029 potential volunteers, 716 of whom eventually took part in the experiment, half of them career officers. However, there are disagreements as to the nature of the volunteer participation. Some of them claim that they received vague information about the nature of the experiment. Defense officials said the full details could not be revealed due to secrecy considerations.

However, participants were given basic information and details about possible side-effects.

Following the experiment, doctors monitored the volunteers for a period of four years. So far, 11 soldiers sought medical attention due to side-effects apparently sustained as result of the tests.

Meanwhile, defense officials have rejected a request by a group of volunteers who recently petitioned the High Court to establish a commission of inquiry into the matter. The defense establishment noted that the research project held strategic importance for national security.

"Thanks to it, Israel can provide a medical response to the entire population against a very grave threat," the defense establishment said. "We thank the volunteers and appreciate their willingness to participate in this important research project and their contribution to the security of all citizens of Israel."

'Israel treated its soldiers as guinea pigs'

Israel has admitted to developing an anthrax vaccine through a secret research project involving tests on unaware army soldiers. The Israeli Defense Ministry revealed on Wednesday that the vaccine was tested on 716 soldiers while they had not been fully informed about the study, Ynet reported. The project, codenamed "Omer 2", was held during the first part of the 1990s and the subjects were picked out of a pool of 4,000. Some of the soldiers, who say that the experiment has had life-threatening side effects for them, are now filing a lawsuit against the Israeli Army, Haaretz reported. So far, 11 soldiers have sought medical attention due to the side effects sustained as result of the tests. Israeli Physicians for Human Rights have also filed a lawsuit against the army over the experiments. The experiments were carried out in light of what was then defined as the "strategic threat of a surprise biological attack facing Israel," the report said. Meanwhile an official medical committee has published a report, raising doubt over motivations for advancing the experiment. The report which was drafted by a special committee of doctors, a legal advisor, and a scientist from the Weizmann Institute of Science, was finally approved for publication on Wednesday. The report revealed that even while the experiment was taking place, Israel had already had a stock of anthrax vaccines. "An accelerated effort to produce large quantities of the vaccine was underway a year prior to the experiment, and by the time the experiments were launched, Israel had enough vaccines to cover the civilian concerns," the report said. The committee also criticized the "shroud of secrecy" which the experiments' directors implemented. "The committee was unconvinced that the need for a vaccine was duly considered by decision makers. Also, it is not clear who the decision makers were who determined the vaccine's necessity," read the report. The only official document found by the committee about the experiment was written by the deputy Defense Minister.