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CounterPunch
January
31, 2003
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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