Mordechai Vanunu: Political Prisoner in Israel
Israel has always maintained that it has never had any nuclear weapons nor
will it ever manufacture them for use or sale. However, ever since its
establishment as a sovereign state in 1948, Israel has "secretly" been manufacturing
them in a very comprehensive nuclear weapons development programme unknown
to much of the Israeli population or the world. The United States has not only
always known about this but internal government documents show it has
committed funds for the programme's continuance, despite America's denial of
this. In fact, the U.S. continues to ship not only money but also raw or
partially-constructed (secondary) resources to Israel in order for it to bulid nuclear
weapons. It has also been stated that the U.S. is even covertly selling nuclear
weapons to Israel via it's sales to Latin America that are then shipped to Israel.
Why would the U.S. involve itself in such illegal activity? The answer is
simple....$MONEY$. The military-industrial-complex is made up of a huge
number of multinational corporations from all sectors of the economy. Arms sales
is the easiest and most profitable ways for them to make tens of millions of dollars
per year. Indeed, much of the budget for the production of nuclear capabilities
that are sold to Israel, and other countries, are tax payer supported because these
nuclear capabilities are formulated via "scientific" research and scientific research is
wholly tax payer paid for. In short, public money is used for private profit made
through the construction and sale of destructive means. The payoff for the public
is not jobs for America is losing jobs anually to mechanization (also "scientifically
produced") and corporate moves to the cheaper "developing" world.
Also, Israel has been, historically, the Middle Eastern power that has opened
up the Gaza Strip and Golan Heights in order for multinational corporations to
easily penetrate it by removing Arab control over most of it; Arabs have usually
been very anti-American and have normally posed problems for U.S. companies.
For instance, the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon resulted in Israel strengthening
its hold in the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, West Bank and opening it up for
corporate exploitation. It should be noted that the U.S. is not the only evil in this
whole picture for all multinationals indirectly support U.S. and Israeli policy by
operating in the area.
One can read a great amount of literature on the above subject from all sides
and this is but a brief overview. Whatever you may read, I must warn you not to
trust all at one glance, especially if they are written by those who benefit from this
scenario, like corporate pamphlets. Read widely, read carefully, and analyze all
aspects before reaching a conclusion; where ever possible read, internal corporate
and government documents for they paint the clearest picture behind the rhetoric.
And now for Vanunu. From 1976 to 1985, Vanunu worked at Dimona,
Israel's nuclear installation. In 1985, Vanunu revealed to the London times that
Israel was indeed producing nuclear weapons and it was estimated that it had
stockpiled about 200 nuclear warheads making it the sixth largest nuclear power in
the world.
Four days prior to the release of this information, Vanunu, on September 30,
1986, while in Rome, Italy, was drugged and kidnapped by Israeli secret agents.
Vanunu was secretly tried and convicted of "treason" and "espionage" and given 18
years in prison. Since then, for over 3600 days, Vanunu has been kept in total
isolation; Amnesty International has decribed the conditions under which he lives
as "cruel, inhuman, and degrading," and the European Parliament has repeatedly
expressed its outrage it Israel and demanded his release.
Vanunu has been internationally acclaimed and was nominated by Joseph
Rotblat, 1995 Nobel Peace Prize winner, for the 1996 Nobel Peace prize.
What can you do?
1) Write a letter to the Israeli Ambassador in your country
2) Write a letter to the U.S. president, Vice president, Congress, Senate.
3) Organize and become vocal; check for you local human rights group and get involved with it, publish a web page, etc. Get your anger expressed for the "PERSONAL IS POLITICAL."
Those interested can also send a letter of support to:
Mordechai Vanunu
Ashquelon Prison, Ashquelon, Israel
"I have sacrificed my freedom and risked my life
in order to expose the danger of nuclear weapons
which threatens this whole region. I acted on
behalf of all citizens and all of humanity"
Mordechai Vanunu