Untitled Document
The Israeli nuclear expert Mordechai Vanunu asserted that the Israeli nuclear
arsenal is a threat to the entire Middle East region, calling on Israel to sign
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreement (NNPA).
Vanunu, who was accused and imprisoned for 18 years by Israel for being the
whistleblower of Israel's nuclear weapons, said in an interview with the French
newspaper "L'Humanité" Monday that by refusing to sign the
NNPA, Israel would be responsible for the proliferation of nuclear weapons in
the region sooner or later.
He also added that Israel would become capable of doing whatever it wanted,
regardless of international laws or conventions, based on its nuclear threat.
As for the Israeli Apartheid Wall being built inside Palestinian territories,
Vanunu affirmed that peace could not be achieved unless the wall would be torn
down, pointing out that the continued construction of this wall in the West
Bank and Jerusalem contradicted international law and legitimacy.
The Israeli nuclear expert told the newspaper that the Israeli withdrawal from
Gaza Strip and northern West Bank was not enough, referring to the deteriorated
conditions in the occupied East Jerusalem and the possible outburst of anger
there at any time.
Though he was released after 18 years of imprisonment, Vanunu said he still
feels like a prisoner, as he was deprived of free movement and traveling, and
might go to jail again for speaking to journalists about "confidential
information regarding the Israeli development of nuclear weapons."
In 1986, an Israeli court indicted Vanunu with spying, and he was secretly
abducted by the Israeli foreign intelligence service "Mossad" from
Rome and moved to Tel Aviv where he was tried and sentenced to 18 years of jail.
Following his release, Vanunu sent an immediate letter to the Israeli Internal
Security Minister, asking him to revoke his Israeli nationality, declaring that
he didn't want any relations with Israel and would apply for asylum in one of
the foreign embassies in Israel.
Following the letter, Israeli authorities imposed strict restrictions on Vanunu,
to prevent him from revealing what they called "state secrets", and
he was banned from leaving Israel for a year and from approaching airports and
sea harbors for a renewable period of six months. He was also ordered to report
all his meetings and movements, as well as asking for special permission before
meeting foreigners.