From the archive · A retrospective
Israel’s Nuclear Whistleblower Wrote His Kidnapping on His Hand
Mordechai Vanunu exposed Dimona, disappeared into Israeli custody and found a way to tell reporters where he said the operation had taken him.
Mordechai Vanunu had a message for the reporters outside his captivity. He wrote it on his hand and held it up: he had been hijacked in Rome in September 1986. The technician who had helped expose Israel’s nuclear program had found a few inches of skin on which to disclose another secret—how he had ended up back in Israel.
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Restrictions described are those imposed in 2004, not a claim about his current legal position. Prison-condition descriptions are attributed to Vanunu.
Sources & further reading
- Written answer on Vanunu’s departure from BritainUK Parliament / historical Hansard
- Israel’s nuclear whistleblower set for releaseABC Australia
- Conversation with Mordechai VanunuABC Australia
- Nuclear whistleblower remains defiant after prisonRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
