At about the same time as the Israeli foreign
secretary was agreeing to the "phased release of
[Israel's] 5,000 Palestinian security prisoners"
(Independent 12th August) Mordechai Vanunu was
having his appeal turned down by the Israeli courts of
so-called justice. Mordechai is an Israeli former
nuclear technician who, like a few more eminent
operators in that deadly business, at a certain stage
had a bad conscience and he came to this country and
spilled the beans about Israel's nuclear arsenal to the
Sunday Times which gave it the full treatment in its
issue of 5th October 1986 over several pages. Vanunu
was not a spy, he was not concerned with payment for
his revelation. He had a conscience (obviously a bad
one since he had contributed to yet another danger
spot in the Middle East). It is interesting that the
Western powers are applying sanctions to Iraq so
long as they are not 'satisfied' that Saddam is not
secretly developing a nuclear weapon, but not a word
of protest from the West about the Vanunu
revelations - which have not been denied. This is not
surprising since it is obvious even to a simpleton that
Israel's paymasters - the USA have not only financed
but supplied all the know-how to have an Israeli
bomb to keep the Arab world (on which the
Americans rely for most of their oil) 'cooperative'!
But to return to the recent news, with first a reference
to Vanunu's London visit in 1986. Once the news-
bomb had exploded in the Sunday Times Israel's
secret police (yes, like all states they have theirs, the
Mossad) got to work with a lovely lady luring him to
Rome where he was kidnapped by the Mossad and
bundled into an Israeli navy ship disguised as a
merchant ship flying a "Panamanian flag". Back in
Israel he was tried and sentenced to eighteen years
imprisonment. It could be argued that in some other
countries he would have been shot. But the incredible
cruelty of the Israeli government which is always
reminding the world of the barbarity of the Nazis - is
that Mordechai has been held in solitary confinement
for 3,000 days, that is over eight years, and his recent
appeal which was turned down was not to be released
but simply to be allowed to talk to other pri- soners.
The official argument is that he knows too much
about the nuclear secrets and if allowed contact with
others might pass on 'vital secrets'. What a lot of
nonsense. One has only to refer to the pages of details
published in The Sunday Times to realise that
Mordechai has nothing more to reveal.
Surely with world opinion protesting over the French
nuclear tests is it not time for world opinion also to
protest on a massive scale at the continued
imprisonment and psychological torture of Mordechai
Vanunu? After all, his action in 1986 was a valuable
protest against Israel's nuclear weapons potential and
equal to the efforts of the Greenpeace activists. And
what about protesting to the USA and Clinton -
Israel's paymasters - to dock a few million dollars if
the Israeli bosses don't release him?