The Case of Mordechai Vannunu
Preeminent Hero of the Nuclear Age
by MARK GAFFNEY
Each
day we move closer to a Mideast war that could involve the use of horrible
weapons, even nukes. In this darkest hour since the 1962 Cuban missile
crisis, the shining example of one man's courage has never been more
relevant to the cause of peace. That man is Mordechai Vanunu, former
Israeli nuclear technician, and may well be the longest serving prisoner
of conscience anywhere in the world. Daniel Ellsberg recently referred to
him as "the preeminent hero of the nuclear age." In September 1986, Mordechai Vanunu was illegally abducted by agents of the Mossad for revealing to the world press information that confirmed the existence of Israel's often-denied plutonium separation plant. The plant is buried eighty feet below ground in the Negev desert, and had long escaped detection. Since the 1960s it has been used to recover plutonium from spent fuel rods from the Dimona nuclear reactor, located nearby. The plant continues to be an integral part of Israel's ongoing nuclear weapons program. Israel is believed to possess at least 200 nukes.
Then Prime Minister Shimon Peres ordered Vanunu' s abduction to silence the whistleblower, and to bring him to trial for allegedly jeopardizing the securi ty of the state of Israel. But Vanunu's real "crime" was speaking the truth. And for that he was made to suffer a fate worse than death: eleven years and five months in solitary confinement. Isolation in a tiny cell is a well known form of torture, and one that can cause deep emotional scars and mental impairment. During this period Vanunu was subjected to constant harassments and humiliations: an obvious attempt by the Mossad to "break" his will, or drive him over the edge. Amnesty International described the conditions of his ordeal as "cruel, inhuman, and degrading."
Yet, the prisoner held firm as a rock. Nor has Vanunu since wavered from the position of principle he articulated in the very beginning: that the only sane path is full disclosure and abolition of nuclear weapons. From his prison cell Mordechai wrote: "It is a dangerous illusion to believe they [nuclear weapons] can be defensive....Only peace between states can promise security."
The world gained another glimpse of Vanunu's character in 1998, shortly after his removal from solitary and his placement in the general prison population. At that time he was queried by Israeli officials about whether he would agree to remain silent on the nuclear issue, implying an offer of conditional release. But Vanunu refused. He insisted on his right to speak freely. And he made it plain that being muzzled on the nuclear issue was non-negotiable: not an option for his release. Vanunu is currently starting the seventeenth year of his eighteen year sentence. One of the causes for which Vanunu risked his life, full disclosure of Israel's nuclear policies, was briefly realized in February 1999, when a debate of the nuclear issue occurred on the floor of the Israeli Knesset. The event was short-lived. After shouting and recriminations, several Arab members of the Knesset who had sparked the debate were expelled from the chamber. The stormy circumstances showed the extent of denial that remains to be overcome. But it was a victory, nonetheless, for those who favor nuclear abolition.
Over the years the case of Mordechai Vanunu has come to symbolize the intractable problem of state secrecy that continues to stymie all efforts toward world nuclear disarmament. This is why Vanunu has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year since1987. Though his name is a household word in Europe, Australia, and throughout much of the rest of the world, here in America Vanunu remains almost unknown. The US press ignores his case because it is an embarrassment to Israel and to the US government.
Yet, spotlighting Vanunu for his courage and his witness would have salutary effects. It would increase public awareness of the folly of President Bush's current Mideast policies. The problem is Bush's double standard: one standard for the US and Israel, another for everyone else. This explains why almost nobody (outside the US) trusts the president when he says he wants to roll back weapons of mass destruction from the Mideast. They correctly understand that Bush is not serious. If he were he would also be pressuring Israel to open its nuclear sites to IAEA inspectors. Israel remains the only state in the region with nuclear weapons.
Mark Gaffney is an anti-nuclear activist and the author of a pioneering 1989 book about Israel's nuclear weapons program: DIMONA, THE THIRD TEMPLE. THE STORY BEHIND THE VANUNU REVELATION. Mark can be reached for comment at mhgaffney@aol.com
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Archived
in accordance with "fair use" provisions of copyright law for use by
scholars, researchers, and educators for study purposes from Rediff India at http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/26vanunu.htm
where it appeared on India's Internet on July 29, 2004.
Israel
killed JFK, says Vanunu
Sunday Times reporter held in Israel
July 26, 2004 In a startling accusation, nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has alleged
that Jerusalem was behind the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, who
was exerting pressure on the then Israeli head of state to shed light on the
Dimona nuclear plant.
In defiance of a ban on talking to the media and meeting with foreigners,
Vanunu is said to have made the accusation in an interview to London-based Al-Hayat
newspaper.
As per the interview published in newspaper's Arabic supplement Al-Wassat
yesterday, Vanunu said according to "near-certain indications",
Kennedy was assassinated due to "pressure he exerted on then head of
government, David Ben-Gurion, to shed light on Dimona's nuclear reactor".
"We do not know which irresponsible Israeli Prime Minister will take
office and decide to use nuclear weapons in the struggle against neighboring
Arab countries," he is quoted to have said, adding, "What has already
been exposed about the weapons Israel is holding can destroy the region and kill
millions."
The whistleblower, who was
released in April after 18 years of imprisonment on charges of treason for
divulging state secrets, also said that the reactor in Dimona, could become a
second "Chernobyl", Israili media reported. He said an earthquake
could cause fissures to the core and that would cause a massive radiation leak
threatening millions.
Vanunu warned that Jordan should test the residents along the border with
Israel for exposure to radiation and give them pills just like the Jewish state
decided to do for its citizens.
Criticising the visit of head of the Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed el-Baradei,
to Israel early this month, he said, "He (Baradei) should have refused to
visit Israel (because) he was not allowed to inspect the nuclear reactor."
It was not yet clear how al-Hayat did the interview, which the
publication claimed is the first with Vanunu since his release. If it turns out
that he in fact gave such an interview in violation of the conditions laid down
for his release, severe sanctions might be imposed on him.
An Israeli Justice Ministry statement said "the statements that Vanunu
made will be examined and if it is determined that he "violated the law or his
restrictions, then steps against him will be considered."
"The opinions on Vanunu are divided," said Ra'anan Gissin, a
spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "Some say let him speak and it
adds to the ambiguity policy, while others say the more he speaks the more he
raises? tensions, particularly in the current atmosphere."
Brushing aside the latest allegations, he said that serious people understood
that Vanunu was speaking nonsense and his comments on JFK were not worthy of a
reaction.
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| The article below has
been archived in accordance with "fair use" provision of the copyright
law for research, scholarship, and education at the scholarly website, www.jewwatch.com
from the Jerusalem Post on the Internet at the URL http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1090725927691
where it appeared on July 29, 2004.
Jul. 25, 2004 8:59 | Updated Jul. 25, 2004 20:54
Vanunu: Israel behind JFK assassination By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN Comments
by freed nuclear spy Mordechai Vanunu that Israel was behind the
assassination of US President John F. Kennedy failed to bring smiles to
government officials Sunday.
One would expect that such
claims would portray Vanunu as a man with a credibility problem, but as
far as the defense establishment is concern, the former nuclear
technician still has secrets to reveal and a declared goal of ending
Israel's nuclear program. He shouldn't be talking to the media and is
actually barred from meeting with foreigners.
Nevertheless, the
London-based al-Hayat published Sunday an interview it claims it had
with Vanunu. According to the interview which appeared in its Arabic
supplement Al-Wassat, Vanunu said that according to "near-certain
indications", Kennedy was assassinated due to "pressure he exerted on
then head of government, David Ben-Gurion, to shed light on Dimona's
nuclear reactor."
"We do not know which
irresponsible Israeli prime minister will take office and decide to use
nuclear weapons in the struggle against neighboring Arab countries,"
Vanunu was quoted as saying. "What has already been exposed about the
weapons Israel is holding can destroy the region and kill millions."
Vanunu also said that the
reactor in Dimona, where he worked, could become a second "Chernobyl."
He said that an earthquake could cause fissures to the core and that
would cause a massive radiation leak threatening millions.
Vanunu warned that Jordan
should test the residents along the border with Israel for exposure to
radiation and give them pills just like Israel decided to do for its
citizens.
Vanunu also criticized the visit to Israel early this month by the head of the Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed el-Baradei.
"He (Baradei) should have refused to have visited Israel (because) he was not allowed to inspect the nuclear reactor," Vanunu said.
According to al-Hayat, Vanunu now lives "with his Palestinian friends" in east Jerusalem.
It was not clear how al-Hayat
did the interview, which the publication claimed with the first Vanunu
has granted to a newspaper since his release from Ashkelon prison last
April.
Vanunu has been barred from granting interviews to foreign media.
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http://www.vanunu.freeserve.co.uk/
http://www.peaceheroes.com/MordecaiVanunu/mvanunu.htm
http://www.nonviolence.org/vanunu/
http://www.israelshamir.net/shamirImages/Shamir/VanunuShamir.htm
http://www.resist.org.uk/reports/archive/vanunu/index.php
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