Israel's Nukes

In Israel, where the nuclear program has sacrosanct status and is viewed as a vital "insurance policy" for defense against hostile neighbors seeking the nation's destruction, Vanunu's revelations were judged treasonous. Under the terms of Vanunu's release, he is prohibited from leaving the country, discussing the nuclear program, and needs the state's permission before talking to foreigners.

Vanunu is a controversial figure in Israel for many reasons. He has questioned Israel's right to exist and is a crusader for Palestinian statehood. He wants the Israeli nuclear program dismantled -- that's why he exposed it to begin with. Speaking to reporters outside the jail, Vanunu insisted that, contrary to statements by the Israeli government, he has no more secrets to reveal:

"For all those calling me a traitor I am proud of what I did and I'm glad I succeeded in what I did. I don't have any secrets…All the talk about more secrets is bullshit and blah blah. My case is dead…I will continue to speak against all kinds of nuclear weapons. I come to end the silence."

His conversion to Christianity and insistence that he is not Jewish -- he comes from a religious family of Sephardic Jews -- has been sneered at, and he is convinced that he is a victim of religious, not just political, persecution. As Vanunu went on to say:

"If I were Jewish this would never happen … I have undergone cruel and barbaric treatment by the Mossad and Shabak (Shin Bet)[the Israeli security forces]."

The Israeli government maintains that his lack of remorse and his determination to speak out following his release justify restrictions on his freedom of movement and speech. Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled told the BBC:

"He is a man sentenced to prison for treason and he has repeatedly said he will go back to his old behavior... [Israel] has to take precautions to prevent that from happening."

The likelihood that Vanunu, after spending almost two decades in prison -- most of it in solitary confinement -- has any new state secrets to reveal is rather slim. Vendetta and a desire to prevent open dialogue about Israel's nuclear program more likely explain the government's restrictions.

The fact that an avowed lefty was able to work in -- and sneak photos out of -- the state's most secretly guarded project was an embarrassment for the security forces. The conservative Jerusalem Post editorialized:

"In 1981, Vanunu, with Arab activists, protested against Israel's destruction of Iraq's Osirak reactor. Vanunu, then, wasn't against the bomb outright. He apparently approved of it in Arab hands.

Indeed, for years prior to Vanunu's arrest and trial, he was a pro-Arab extremist to the point that Hebrew University students and staff, who knew he was employed at the Dimona reactor, wondered how such a person could be allowed near the nation's most secure facility. This was the first, most easily preventable, and most egregious error of the entire affair."

The Mossad made up for the oversight in a maneuver worthy of a spy novel: Vanunu was lured by a female agent from London to Rome with promises of sex, drugged, and snatched off to Israel for a secret trial.

Israel has not signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and has refused to subject itself to international inspections. Libya's recent decision to destroy its WMD programs and Iran's cooperation with nuclear inspectors have not prompted a serious reconsideration of Israeli nuclear policy. As the Jerusalem Report points out:

"Israeli officials warn against getting ahead of the game. Indeed, they see the Libyan and Iranian moves as a mixed blessing. In the best-case scenario, they say, Libya and Iran dismantle their WMD programs and reduce the threat of a regional nuclear cataclysm. But in the worst case, the two rogue states get international sanctions lifted on a false promise of disarmament, continue to develop mega-weapons in secret and put pressure on Israel to open up its own undeclared programs to inspection. For now, the officials say, skepticism over both Libya and Iran is warranted; the burden of proof is still very much on them.

More importantly, neither the U.S. nor the E.U. is pressing Israel into parallel moves. On the contrary, calls from Arab countries and left-wing politicians for Israel to declare and dismantle its reported WMD programs have led both the U.S. and British governments to declare that, when it comes to WMD, Israel is a unique case."

Israel has -- like all countries, only more so -- legitimate security concerns, but its current nuclear policy only perpetuates the arms race in the region and fuels distrust. U.S. efforts to stem the spread of WMD in the Middle East are undercut because of its refusal to criticize the Israeli program, prompting accusations of its "double-standard" in the region.

Israel prides itself on being the Middle East's only democracy, but the politically motivated restrictions placed on Vanunu reveal some of its flaws. In its attempts to limit legitimate debate on the wisdom of Israel's nuclear program, the government is not only doing a disservice to Israeli democracy; it counters the very vision of the nuclear-free Middle East that it publicly propounds.

Those Israelis who disagree with some or all Vivandu's political views -- and there are many -- should nevertheless be troubled by their government's handling of the case. As Maariv International argues:

"Considering the spin and attempts to implant fear, it should be remembered: expressing an opinion, even one about nuclear weapons, is not a crime. Attorney General Meni Mazuz said that explicitly at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee meeting. Security experts, Knesset members, professors and ordinary citizens have already written and spoken about every aspect of the subject. If Vaanunu reveals any previously unknown information about what is done in Institute 2 from the "Golda Balcony" [the Dimona reactor] and down, he will become a crime suspect and it might be necessary to bring him to trial. However, a principled discussion of the country's nuclear options is permitted in a democratic country."