Since his release from jail, Israeli authorities have been debating the immediate future of Mordechai Vanunu. Emad Gad looks at some of the options On 21 April, the Israeli authorities released Mordechai Vanunu, a former employee at the Dimona nuclear reactor. Vanunu spent 18 years in Israeli prisons on charges of revealing secrets related to Israel's nuclear capabilities. He was arrested in an operation conducted by Israel's Mossad and Italian and British intelligence. There is also information indicating that American intelligence played a role in capturing Vanunu and sending him to Israel, under sedation in a crate. Prior to Vanunu's release there were extensive discussions within Israeli security agencies about whether his release could cause problems for Israel at the present time. Vanunu, a believer in the necessity of stripping Israel of nuclear weapons for the security and stability of the region, has stood his ground. Security interrogations with him have shown that he still holds to the ideas that led him to reveal the true dimensions and dangers of Israel's nuclear programme and that he will continue to fight nuclear weapons. Israeli security agencies recommended that Vanunu be prevented from travelling for a year. As soon as he was released from jail, Vanunu planned on leaving Israel after stating unequivocally that Israel had no future as an extremist religious state. Some believe that Vanunu has no new knowledge to reveal. His knowledge of Israel's nuclear programme stops at 1986 but there have been many developments in Israel's arms programme since. Thus, they maintain, his words have no value and there are no new dangers he could expose. But a more objective analysis indicates that any statement by Vanunu would be important in principle and raising the issue at the present time might prove embarrassing to the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency. In terms of principle, Vanunu may bring up the fact that Israel's nuclear programme has in fact produced nuclear weapons. This means that Israel is the only nuclear power in the region. In terms of timing, the issue is clear. The US and other international powers are spending enormous amounts of time and energy monitoring attempts by other nations to possess weapons of mass destruction. Even as the US and Britain launched a war on Iraq -- a member of the UN -- and occupied the country on the pretext of disarming it of weapons of mass destruction, the US covers up Israel's nuclear programme and even provides political and legal protection. Indeed, it appears that Israel is the only exception to Washington's hunt for weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and the world at large. In any case, new secrets started coming to light with Vanunu's release from prison. "I am Mordechai Vanunu and I published the article in the Sunday Times," he said. "I have no secrets. My cause is dead. Everything has been published, all secrets have been made public. They treated me savagely. I want to begin a new life. I don't care about Israel. I suffered here 18 years because I'm a Christian. I suffered only because I'm a Christian." Vanunu demanded, "Open the Dimona reactor to international inspectors. The Mossad and Shin Bet wanted to drive me mad but they didn't succeed. I say to everyone who called me a traitor: I'm proud of what I did." Vanunu met some of his supporters in the St George Cathedral in Jerusalem to celebrate his release. "Mordechai will remain in the St George Anglican Cathedral for at least the next six hours," his brother Meir Vanunu said. In the afternoon, Vanunu prayed in the cathedral in thanks to God. As soon as the news of Vanunu's release and his conversion to Christianity was published, Israeli Hebrew Web sites hosted dozens of letters attacking both him and his conversion. Some openly called for him to be executed as a traitor. "Does Vanunu want to convert to Christianity? He should be baptised in plutonium in his former workplace. That will make his co-workers happy," wrote one respondent. Another wrote, "I wouldn't be surprised if he became as holy as Jesus the Jew, a symbol of salvation in Christianity. Israel did it to itself. The way this man was treated from the beginning was wrong and unexpected. Instead of making him into an untrustworthy character, we made him a tortured saint. He was delivered!" A third person commented, "Woe to Christianity when people like this come calling. I think even Jesus would roll over in his grave if he knew that someone like Vanunu was following his path. Jesus was waiting for people better than Vanunu. Vanunu, don't bring disgrace to Christianity and don't convert. Your mother gave birth to you as a Jew and we can't do anything about it. You would make Judaism happy if you renounced it but I know that Christians also hate traitors and quislings. You are worse than Judas Iscariot." Another letter-writer attacked Christianity. "Christian hatred of Israel still exists. This is a fact. The Church is adopting a Jew who publicly betrayed his people and country. Religiously based anti-Semitism is no longer limited to extremist Islam. I say this to all those who believe in the 'civilisation' of Christian Europe." Another person wrote, "But why did he leave Judaism? What does Christianity offer? Only lies and brainwashing. This is the generation of deliverance and there is confusion. My brothers and sisters, do not despair." Letters with anti-Christian sentiments included statements such as "Don't forget who the Christians are," "Every Jew with mental problems or who is persecuted converts to Christianity," "The poor parents who have something like this in their home -- a bastard Christian," "The Church encourages Vanunu, it feeds on the leftovers of Jews," and "And now, under the protection of the Church, he'll commit several covert crimes." Since Vanunu is of Moroccan origin, some of the letters included a call to ship Moroccan Jews back to their homeland. One respondent answered these calls. "Those who support sending Moroccan Jews back to Morocco because of Vanunu ignore Elhanan Tennenbaum, the Ashkenazi spy Levinban Marcus and other dubious characters. Should we send the Jews back to Europe because of them? The Middle East is clearly not an appropriate place for you and you're not assimilating well." To read more about the release of Mordechai Vanunu, visit the Web site of Arabs Against Discrimination (www.aad-online.org).
