On the morning of Oct. 9, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened his weekly Cabinet meeting by announcing to his ministers that the nuclear research facility in Dimona would be named after Israel’s ninth president, the late Shimon Peres. “He was very active in establishing this important project for Israel’s security for generations, and I think that it’s appropriate and right to name the compound after him,” said Netanyahu in explaining his decision. Its implementation is already underway.

As director general of the Defense Ministry at only 29 year of age, Peres was the motivating force leading to the construction of the Dimona reactor in the 1950s. The facility was shrouded in mystery for years. Under the watchful eye of the military censor, it was referred to as a “textile factory.” As Netanyahu noted, the reactor has in fact been an important component in Israel’s security for generations. According to foreign sources, it has given Israel nuclear weapons capabilities. It is, therefore, an important component of the country’s approach to security and its ability to defend itself.

As the years passed and Peres became an international icon of peace, his connection to the reactor and other issues related to defense moved from the spotlight. It is doubtful whether the younger generation even knows about his activities in this arena. The choice of the Dimona nuclear reactor as the first national installation to commemorate Peres moves his legacy as a security hawk to the forefront and ignores that the former prime minister and president devoted the last two decades of his life to resolving the conflict with the Palestinians and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in brokering the Oslo Accord.

As the son of a historian, Netanyahu understands how powerful the act of commemoration can be. The idea of naming the reactor after Peres should therefore be understood in the context of promoting a particular narrative. Netanyahu could, for instance, have decided to rename the “Peace Road” highway from Givatayim to Tel Aviv the Shimon Peres Peace Road. That would have been an obvious choice. On the other hand, it is no coincidence that Netanyahu would prefer that Peres instead be remembered as the “Father of the Dimona Nuclear Reactor.”