|
|
|
The Case of Mordechai Vannunu: Preeminent Hero of the Nuclear Age
by MARK GAFFNEY
CounterPunch January 31, 2003
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
©-free 2003 Adelaide Institute