? Israel was invaded and nearly overrun several times, by many of it's neighbours, with a combined population 30x it's own.
It's neighbours continued to make public proclamations that they wanted to 'wipe it out'.
If that is not 'threatening' then what is?
Iran, in contrast, faces no real existential threat. Not Russia, Turkey. Saudis couldn't really if they wanted to. Iraq is weak and they control most of it.
Israel was the first country in the middle east to acquire nuclear weapons. The UAR did not have nuclear weapons and wasn't developing them (despite Israel's unsubstantiated claims to the contrary), nor did Israel need nuclear weapons to defend itself (Ben-Gurion admitted that in 1963 to JFK.) And even if they weren't capable of defending themselves with conventional arms, the JFK administration offered to ensure the protection of Israel in exchange for inspections of Dimona to stop Israel's bomb program. Israel turned this offer down, and refused inspections of Dimona.
Israel did not need an atomic bomb. In developing nuclear weapons (in cooperation with the white supremacist state of South Africa, it should be noted) Israel ensured that other middle east countries would eventually seek them. They deliberately threw water onto an oil fire.
Israel is a small country without allies (it didn't then) which was invaded a few times by much bigger nations around it, some of whom, to this day, want to destroy it.
Of all non-superpower nations, Israel's quest for Nukes is probably the most rational.
They have zero will or capability to wage any material war of conquest (beyond East Bank/Golan), there is zero chance that they could feasibly use those weapons to 'invade' Jordan, Syria, Saudi etc.. They couldn't hope to occupy any such territory. Ergo - they can only materially be used for defence. Besides - anything else and the entire world (including the US) would turn on them.
Israel's nukes has not caused others to seek nukes really - that's far flung. Iran is not threatened in any way by Israel.
Ironically - the opposite is true: Iran's nukes will destabilize the entire region and cause major problems. Saudi has access to nuke tech from Pakistan, and if Iran ever for a moment brandishes such a weapon, they will magically appear in Saudi very quickly.
Other players are likely to be able to overcome the geopolitical pressure to avoid them, but the fact is 'they would want to have them'.
Nobody is afraid of Israel, but almost everyone around Iran is afraid of Iran.
The 'conflict' in the ME is no longer Israel vs. Egypt an everyone else, now, it's Iran vs. Saudi and everyone else.
> Israel is a small country without allies (it didn't then)
This just isn't true, America was offering to ensure their safety and Israel believed that if they were attacked, America and other first world countries would come to their defense. They acquired nuclear weapons anyway. This is all spelled out in the correspondence you can read here: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/john-f-kennedy-administ...
What's more, those documents reveal the Israeli government was exaggerating the military competence and ability of the UAR in PR campaigns directed at the Israeli and American publics.
It's neighbours continued to make public proclamations that they wanted to 'wipe it out'.
If that is not 'threatening' then what is?
Iran, in contrast, faces no real existential threat. Not Russia, Turkey. Saudis couldn't really if they wanted to. Iraq is weak and they control most of it.