Update on Mordechai
Vanunu
June 2001
Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technician,
is serving an 18-year sentence at Ashkelon Prison for informing
the public about Israel's secret nuclear weapons program. After
revealing information about Israel's nuclear weapons program to
a British newspaper, Vanunu was lured from the UK to Rome, where
Israeli agents apprehended him. Vanunu was kept in solitary confinement
for more than 11 years, from September 30, 1986 until March 12,
1998. Vanunu's story published on October 5, 1986, confirmed to
the world for the first time that Israel had become a nuclear
weapons state and had enough fissile material for as many as 200
advanced nuclear warheads.
The following is the most recent letter* written
by Mordechai Vanunu to David Krieger. The letter was written on
December 4th, 2000 and received on June 14th, 2001 by air mail.
Portions of the letter were literally cut out to censor Vanunu's
words relating to Israel's nuclear policies which exemplifies
the country's resolve to continue its "secret" nuclear
weapons program without being subjected to international accountability.
The censored portions of this letter are marked with brackets
[ ].
Vanunu needs your support. You can write to him
at Ashkelon Prison to encourage him. Mail from supporters sustains
his hope.
Mordechai Vanunu
Ashkelon Prison
Ashkelon, Israel
December 4th, 2000
Dear Mr. David Krieger,
Thank you very much for your letter of November
13th. I am very glad to know that you are ready to do more for
my release and for the abolition of all nuclear weapons [censored]
- I'll continue to write to you as I am writing to others. As
you requested in your letter, I will respond on the issue of the
nuclear weapons threat to the entire world. As to the names of
people, you can ask Sam Day. He knows all the names. I am writing
to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Hans Bethe and others to request
they send copies of their letters of support to Sam Day.
In regards to nuclear weapons, although we are
seeing reductions in nuclear weapons by the states who produce
and possess them, the vision of abolishing nuclear weapons has
not become a reality despite the many large campaigns, ranging
from all societies and including retired Admirals and Generals.
On the other hand, all those who are supporting nuclear weapons
have suffered a huge setback since the end of the Cold War when
nuclear weapons lost their justification. For nuclear weapons,
lost enemies, lost conflicts and not future justification will
happen. Those who are against nuclear weapons must continue to
put pressure toward a total ban, abolishing all nuclear weapons
in all states which possess them. Economically, nuclear weapons
are redundant and states will spend more to continue maintaining
them even though they have no future use. That we are moving in
the path of abolishing all nuclear weapons is a positive optimist
view.
The second problem is how to deal with small states
that have nuclear weapons [censored] which superpowers like the
US are now using as a reason to keep nuclear weapons and even
justify the development of missile defenses. My example was the
best way to deal with [censored] nuclear weapons secrets by revealing
to the media world-wide. But it was not enough. As we have witnessed,
Israel yet continues to deny and ignore this information and continues
to lie in public. This is why the superpowers are not ready to
use that information to demand that Israel end its nuclear weapons
program. In my view, all anti-nuclear campaigners should use that
information to fight Israel's secret policies, force Israel to
open Dimona reactor and sign the NPT with all the consequences
[censored] then other small states who also engage in nuclear
weapons secrets will follow [censored] and sign the NPT. This
is the way to deal wth this phenomena of an unbalanced world of
states who have nuclear weapons and states who do not have nuclear
weapons. The world would be in a more balanced reality; that is
all small states should be free from nuclear weapons. Then all
small states, which would be the world's majority, will put pressure
on the superpowers to abolish nuclear weapons. This step is not
currently succeeding because of one small state, Israel, is breaking
the unity among the world majority to force the superpowers to
abolish all nuclear weapons.
The next interesting point is that all anti-nuclear
weapons campaigners do not understand the "Israel effect"
on nuclear weapons abolition. Another interesting point is the
connection between nuclear weapons and the economy. The post-Cold
War era has been an age of economic growth and development. More
and more states are realizing the deficit in possessing nuclear
weapons and that nuclear weapons do not promote economic development
in most of the undeveloped states. These countries are ready to
back and support any initiative that will bring the end of nuclear
weapons in the entire world. They know that the abolition of nuclear
weapons in Europe, the US and the entire world will only bring
help and encouragement to global economic activities, including
globalization. So anti-nuclear activists should work in this new
field to use economic reasons and alliances to defeat nuclear
weapons. This could be done especially at economic summits like
the G-8 and WTO meetings where decisions or declarations could
be issued to abolish nuclear weapons. Rather than fighting the
WTO like anarchist environmentalists, we can recreate the WTO
and G-8 to begin working toward zero nuclear weapons.
As to my release, no date for parole or release
has been set. My official date of release is April 2004. I support
any initiative you and others can do for my release.
Hope to be free and to meet you and others in Santa
Barbara. Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
[signed]
Mordechai Vanunu
*This letter was edited for publishing.
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