JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli Knesset's first-ever debate on nuclear policy erupted on Wednesday into a shouting match between Jewish and Arab legislators who came down on opposite sides of an ambiguous issue.

Arab legislator Issam Mahoul, who forced the debate by appealing to Israel's Supreme Court, said Israel has hundreds of nuclear warheads. He demanded that Israel go public with its nuclear program and eventually dismantle it.

Rather than have the court rule in the matter, Israeli Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg allowed the debate -- and was called an Arab patriot for his actions.

Two dozen right-wing legislators walked out at the start of Wednesday's session in protest.

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CNN's Walter Rodgers shows the rancorous debate.
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But Mahoul got an even stronger rebuke from Cabinet Minister Haim Ramon, who accused the Hadash party legislator of pushing Israel into disclosing to its enemies "exactly how things are and ... what the situation is."

"Do you want us to tell Iran and Iraq exactly what we have and what we don't have?" Ramon said. "It's unheard of."

'The whole world knows'

"The Iranian and Iraqi threats that people keep talking about in Israel is a result of the policy in the Middle East that is led by Israel. It's not a reaction to it," Mahoul said.

"It is Israel that introduced nuclear weapons into the Middle East and it's Israel that created legitimacy for the other countries in this part of the world to arm themselves with nuclear weapons," he added.

Israel has between 200 and 300 nuclear bombs, Mahoul alleged.


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"The whole world knows that Israel is a great stockpiler of atomic, chemical and biological weapons," he said.

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Ramon neither confirmed nor denied Mahoul's allegations. "To do so would aid the enemy," he said.

"You have to have common sense, there has to be logic ... this debate will not lead to any positive outcome in any respect at all," Ramon said.

Even Burg, who allowed the debate, berated Mahoul.

"Don't interrupt me," he said at one point. "You have done enough harm today."

Israel has never publicly acknowledged having nuclear weapons nor has it ever publicly debated nuclear policy. But in recent years, the Jewish state has moved toward a more open nuclear policy. Wednesday's fracas could put that movement on hold.

But some Israeli legislators agreed with Mahoul.

"All I have to do is go to the Internet ... and everything we are not allowed to talk about here is on the Internet," one said. "Are we making a laughingstock of ourselves?"

In the end, five Arab legislators were escorted out of the parliament chamber for heckling -- although no Jewish hecklers were expelled.

Jerusalem Bureau Chief Walter Rodgers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.