Good Friday hassle and warning for Mordechai Vanunu

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Monday April 13, 2009 18:34

by Justin Morahan

His conversion to Christianity does appear to have nettled Israel

Israel's contemptible treatment of its famous whisleblower continues. His Good Friday harassment again raises the question: Is part of Israel's relentless punishment of Mordechai Vanunu because of his Christian faith?

When I was in Israel five years ago with Mairead Maguire, Ann Patterson, Barbara Faibish and Kevin Cassidy (all of the Peace People) for the release of Mordechai Vanunu from his eighteen year prison sentence https://www.indymedia.ie/article/64579?userlanguage=ga&...=true
we were standing opposite the gates of Ashkelon prison waiting for the historic moment of his release when we heard that Pat Kenny wanted to speak to Mairead Maguire on his RTE morning programme live.

We were all a little surprised when Pat asked Mairead, as his most important question: Was it because Mordechai Vanunu had converted from Judaism to Christianity that he had suffered so much in prison. (He had spent eleven years of his sentence in solitary confinement). None of us associated Mordechai's cruel treatment in Ashkelon prison with anything but Israeli revenge and retribution for his having made their nuclear arsenal public knowledge. Mordechai himself believed that his conversion to Christianity did play a part in the severity and conditions of his imprisonment.

Now, twenty three years after he blew the whistle on Israel, and five years after his so-called release on 21 April 2004, Mordechai Vanunu is not by any stretch of the imagination a free man. According to a witness from Israel, on 10 April last (Good Friday for Christians), as Mordechai was walking, a car drew up slowly alongside him. There were four men in the car wearing sunglasses and one shouted at him but he walked on. The car kept pace and again they shouted in Hebrew: "You are garbage". Mordechai continued to walk ignoring the insult.

Back at his rundown backpacker hotel, as he entered the foyer, the four leapt from the car, flashed ID cards and ushered him into the back seat as residents and traders watched his public humiliation.

Mordechai was taken to the local station and warned not to go to Bethlehem this year to celebrate Christmas. Maybe they meant Easter. They told him that they would be watching him and that he should not speak to journalists or foreigners.

Israel now lives under the new Netanyahu/Lieberman Government. Even more hawkish than the previous Government which perpetrated the holocaust of Gaza last Christmas holidays.

On 21 April 2005 we were back in Israel and witnessed the police serve papers on Mordechai publicly (after they had raised his hopes about a change of heart). As 21 April 2009 approaches there appears little hope of any reprieve for Mordechai Vanunu - only the re-serving of State papers on him renewing the barbaric sanctions on his liberty.

More shame on the State of Israel. More praise for the brave Israelis young and old who oppose the cruelty and crimes of this "democracy."