While my son James heads off for another day of filming today as an extra in a new ITV drama called The Whistleblower with Carnival Films, my thoughts are with fearless whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu who revealed the secrets of Israel’s nuclear weapons to The Sunday Times. He faces further incarceration for refusing to be silenced.
He was subsequently abducted in Rome by Israeli Mossad agents and smuggled to Israel, where he was tried in secret and convicted of treason. He spent 18 years in prison, including more than 11 years in solitary confinement. Vanunu was released from prison in 2004, subject to restrictions on his speech and movement.
He now faces a further prison sentence for violating the terms of his release by talking to the media. Since his release Vanunu has tirelessly campaigned for the Jewish state to be disarmed while denying Israeli officials’ charges that he has more secrets that he could divulge if allowed to emigrate.
Vanunu has become a symbol for the international peace movement and activists will continue to highlight his plight. Almost 1,000 signatures were collected during a recent bike ride from Scotland to London and presented to Downing Street, urging Tony Blair to use his influence. It said:
“Vanunu has no secrets. You know it, Israel knows it, we know it. You know that Israel’s persecution of him is wrong. Still, because Israel has the power and the patronage of the world’s most powerful State, it acts against conscience, decency, morals and righteousness. Israel wields its power, not justice, over him. But Might is not Right and the pendulum of power swings fast from side to side. Today’s winners are tomorrow’s losers. What is important in the human family is that values of decency, respect and goodness are remembered by both losers and winners to the advantage of both.
“As cyclists who have pedalled over 500 miles to be here today, we call on you to go the extra mile – use your influence to end the persecution of Mordechai Vanunu.”
So do you believe Vanunu is hero or traitor? Meanwhile “Cindy”, the blonde who helped snare him in a honeytrap and entice him to Rome, now lives in Florida – her reward, perhaps?
An absolute hero – and it is just as disgraceful that they will not him travel the world freely without let or hindrance as it is that Alan Johnson is still in captivity. He has served his sentence from a kangaroo court – let him live in peace wherever he chooses to go.
That country has nuclear power and WMDs?
Elle, you saying SoB (son of Bush) and Blair invaded the wrong country? No wonder they couldn’t find any dam wmds in Iraq.
Iranian whistleblowers (even if they blow false whistles, or should I say especially if) are free to live in the US.
This one is sailing a bit close to the wind, it is not ‘cool’ to criticise that country if you are blue.
Politics is a dirty business, of that there’s no doubt. Most of us have read spy novels and think we have some understanding of what goes on, but can we ever really get a handle on the murky world where politics and espionage merge? I often wonder what I would do faced with a decision of consciences. I marvel at the guts of people, but at the same time question if it’s not a little bit like being a judge and jury.
For me the jury will alwys be a little out on this because it’s doubtful that we can ever know the whole story about anything.
Q9, I take the Hans Blix line on nuclear weapons and would like to see disarmament, I cannot bear to think about the consequences of a nuclear attack: https://elleeseymour.com/2006/11/25/hans-blix-urges-blair-to-rethink-trident-weapons/
So I applaud Vanunu, I guess he will always be a thorn in the side of Israel, he will always refuse to be silenced.
He is a traitor , he betrayed his country he compromised his countries defence ? How much nore of a traitor could he be ? Liberals always hate the state of Israel because it is a standing enditement of their pretense and cant . I notice the BBC have suppressed a report into their anti semitic reporting of the Middle East ..typical.
Countries are not defended because of reason they are defended out of love the love that is required of the Israeli soldiers and people on a front line we have no conception of .He is the worst sort of traitor Philby and Maclean were other elitists who sold out their own people for the glory . They also had their consciences soi disant. Cheap tatty baubles to buy fame from the jabbering world
Ellee, no one can bear to think of the consequences of a nuclear attack. However, the best way to prevent such an attack is to have a modern system that threatens hostile nations as much as they threaten you.
Liberal minded declarations of disarmament are dangerous and are blissfully ignorant of how the real world works.
I assume you leave your car and house unlocked as it’s illegal to steal property in the UK…
it is not ‘cool’ to criticise that country if you are blue.
It is not cool to criticise any country that is not either the UK the US our Allies and friends if you are not .Hence the lefts bizarre campaign to free the genocidal one in Iraq.Madness
“standing enditement of their pretense and cant”
[sic]
Can you at least try and post in English, Newmania, then at least we might try and understand what you are talking about, even if it is lacking in logic. Using ungrammatical nonsense like this in one sentence, and following it up with pretentious claptrap like ‘soi disant’ in the next is beyond satire. Are you sure you’re not Craig Brown ?
Snafu, isn’t that why Iran would like to have nuclear weapoms –
to defend itself from dangerous countries like Pakistan and the US
Snafu, isn’t that why North Korea wants to develop nuclear weapons –
to defend itself from dangerous countries like China and the US
I’m really really worried about being nuked
I shake in my skin, and break out in a sweat at night thinking a scud might reach the uk.
Snafu, Who isn’t a dangerous Country?
Anyone would think that if there were no foreigners about – there would be no deaths on the road, and no madman running amock with a knife – or a gun in the US – every other day.
I think I agree with Richard Havers on this one: it will be years, if ever, before the whole truth is known.
If with ‘mania on this one, and he beat me to the punch in using the word ‘traitor’, because that is exactly what Vanunu is.
“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning.
If I do not remember thee,
let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth;
if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy”.
Quasar9, I am not aware that Israel has called for the total destruction of Iran. Can the same be said of Iran?
China continues to fund unstable Stalinist North Korea whilst the United States continues to provide food aid to starving North Koreans. How are they dangerous to North Korea?
Are Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Switzerland dangerous countries?
You saw my post on him, Ellee and on Daniel Ellsberg? That was the question I put about the whistleblower – hero or traitor?
Snafu, even if a country has the capability to ‘obliterate’ Palestine, would they be allowed to do – with impunity?
Not sure where you live, but in the uk we had a ‘cod war’ with Iceland.
However the point is exactly that how come Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Switzerland don’t need a nuclear arsenal to ‘defend’ themselves from Russia, or Iran, or Pakistan or China.
Are you suggesting it is because they believe the US and uncle Sam will keep them safe?
Do I need to ‘disarm’ you, so as not to live in ‘fear’ of you – or, will uk nuclear weapons protect me from you if you are intent on doing me harm?
Do you really think it’s nuclear capability that stopped Egypt, Syria, Iraq, or any other neighbour invading – or is it that they have other things to worry about – like how to improve their economy so their citizens so can have food, plama tvs, cars and internet.
Interesting question, Elle.
Firstly, as he betrayed his country, he is most definitely a traitor.
But to the outside world – hero or villain? I guess it depends on which side of the I/P question you sit. I sympathise with Israel to some degree as it is surrounded by countries committed to its destruction.
However, it is never promising to see yet another country go nuclear.
Quasar9, apart from the threat to Britain’s national dish, I’m not aware that the “Cod wars” threatened Britain’s populace.
I suspect you are the type of person who would have supported Germany’s re-armament in the 1930s as they had a “right to defend themselves” whilst overlooking Hitler’s previous denouncement of the jews as “public bluster”.
Most peace protestors suggest I don’t need to be disarmed to protect you, you just disarm yourself and I won’t cause you any trouble…
Egypt isn’t keen on attacking Israel as they got a bloody nose the last time they tried.
Is North Korea more interested in improving it’s economy for the benefit of it’s citizens or developing a nuclear capability!?!
A traitor of the worst kind.
Pommygranate said “However, it is never promising to see yet another country go nuclear”.
I think there’s enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that Israel has been nuclear for a very long time.
(Who’s Bedd Gelert? A friend of Gilad Atzmon?)