He blew the whistle on Israel's nukes and paid a high price

The Advertiser

18-06-2025

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
For a while he was an anonymous dishwasher at the Menzies Hotel in Sydney. After that, he drove cabs.
Like many who travelled the backpacker trail through South East Asia in those days he'd ended up in the emerald city and was soon taken with its charms. He decided to stay.
But Israeli Mordechai Vanunu harboured a disturbing secret. In his backpack were rolls of film that would finally confirm that his country had built an arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Vanunu had been an engineer at Israel's Dimona nuclear research facility in the Negev desert. In the grounds of the St John's Anglican church in East Sydney, he was befriended by a Colombian journalist who wanted to sell his story and photos to the British press. On September 10, 1986, Vanunu flew to London to tell his story to the Sunday Times.
He revealed Dimona's work in separating lithium-6 to produce tritium, essential for the production of fission boosted nuclear bombs. Vanunu's revelations led experts to estimate Israel had the capacity to produce up to 150 nuclear weapons. Finally, it was confirmed. Israel had the bomb.
An elaborate plan was developed by Mossad to capture Vanunu. In a classic honey trap the engineer was lured to Rome, where he was taken prisoner and spirited back to Israel. Eventually he was tried, convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison, 11 of which were served in solitary confinement.
Israel was determined to keep a tight lid on the Dimona story, not least because its chief ally, the United States, had a ban on funding countries which produced weapons of mass destruction.
Vanunu was released from prison under strict conditions in 2004. He is not allowed to leave Israel; he can't talk to foreigners without permission from the Shin Bet security service; he can't be in the vicinity of an airport or border crossing; his phone and internet use are subject to ongoing monitoring.
The Israeli whistleblower became a cause celebre for the Anglican Church, which had welcomed him as a convert to Christianity during his time in Australia. He was listed as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International after he was sent back to prison for breaching his release conditions by speaking to foreigners.
Vanunu has repeatedly applied for the restrictions placed on him to be lifted. Each year they are extended for another 12 months.
In July last year, he posted on social media that they'd been extended again.
Israel's nuclear secret has been out now for almost 40 years. Vanunu has been punished enough for his part in confirming what the West had long suspected but chose to turn a blind eye to.
Now the Middle East is ablaze once more. Israel claims the high moral ground in its determination to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon while sitting on its own arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. Yet we hear little of that inconvenient truth.
And we hear virtually nothing of the man who blew the whistle and remains silenced.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is there a double standard at play when nuclear-armed Israel bombs another country it claims wants to build the bomb? Should Mordechai Vanunu be allowed to leave Israel? If Ukraine could give up its nuclear arsenal in 1994, why shouldn't Israel do the same now? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's scheduled meeting with Donald Trump has been cancelled after the United States president decided to leave the G7 summit early to deal with the Middle East crisis.
- Australia's sovereign wealth fund will seek out more assets in places like Europe and Japan as President Donald Trump makes the US a less attractive place to invest.
- Australia's political and military leaders are warning of dangerous global conditions as violence in the Middle East escalates.
THEY SAID IT: "Everyone knows that Israel has nuclear weapons, but no one is talking about it. The world doesn't want nuclear weapons - not in Israel, not in the Middle East and not anywhere in the world." - Mordechai Vanunu
YOU SAID IT: The world might be a better place if its squabbling leaders - generally angry, old men - duked it out in cage fights rather than bombing civilians.
"Couldn't agree more," writes Veronica. "Let them kill each other if that is their fancy - just leave me and the rest of the sane world out of it!"
Sharon writes: "Yes, put the old men - sorry, little boys - into a cage and make them fight it out. It'd be a very short fight. Pathetic old gits all of them."
"For what seems like 100 years I've advocated the old and traditional method: the leaders lead the troops into battle," writes Old Donald. "Frontline. Wearing bright, distinctive clothing clearly marked to show they're the bosses. They know that if they lose, then their lands, spouses, children, even (yes) their dogs are forfeit and probably killed. With today's weaponry available, they think twice ... and ordinary, otherwise happy people get to live ordinary happy lives."
Jan writes: "I am so totally fed up with ruining every day of the rest of my life hearing and reading about the misery created by these dysfunctional misfits of men you mentioned that I try my best to avoid following the news altogether. Your tongue-in-cheek cage fighting scenario would save not only many innocent civilian lives but also those of the service personnel who are sent off to do the fighting to feed the insatiable egos of their so-called leaders."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
For a while he was an anonymous dishwasher at the Menzies Hotel in Sydney. After that, he drove cabs.
Like many who travelled the backpacker trail through South East Asia in those days he'd ended up in the emerald city and was soon taken with its charms. He decided to stay.
But Israeli Mordechai Vanunu harboured a disturbing secret. In his backpack were rolls of film that would finally confirm that his country had built an arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Vanunu had been an engineer at Israel's Dimona nuclear research facility in the Negev desert. In the grounds of the St John's Anglican church in East Sydney, he was befriended by a Colombian journalist who wanted to sell his story and photos to the British press. On September 10, 1986, Vanunu flew to London to tell his story to the Sunday Times.
He revealed Dimona's work in separating lithium-6 to produce tritium, essential for the production of fission boosted nuclear bombs. Vanunu's revelations led experts to estimate Israel had the capacity to produce up to 150 nuclear weapons. Finally, it was confirmed. Israel had the bomb.
An elaborate plan was developed by Mossad to capture Vanunu. In a classic honey trap the engineer was lured to Rome, where he was taken prisoner and spirited back to Israel. Eventually he was tried, convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison, 11 of which were served in solitary confinement.
Israel was determined to keep a tight lid on the Dimona story, not least because its chief ally, the United States, had a ban on funding countries which produced weapons of mass destruction.
Vanunu was released from prison under strict conditions in 2004. He is not allowed to leave Israel; he can't talk to foreigners without permission from the Shin Bet security service; he can't be in the vicinity of an airport or border crossing; his phone and internet use are subject to ongoing monitoring.
The Israeli whistleblower became a cause celebre for the Anglican Church, which had welcomed him as a convert to Christianity during his time in Australia. He was listed as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International after he was sent back to prison for breaching his release conditions by speaking to foreigners.
Vanunu has repeatedly applied for the restrictions placed on him to be lifted. Each year they are extended for another 12 months.
In July last year, he posted on social media that they'd been extended again.
Israel's nuclear secret has been out now for almost 40 years. Vanunu has been punished enough for his part in confirming what the West had long suspected but chose to turn a blind eye to.
Now the Middle East is ablaze once more. Israel claims the high moral ground in its determination to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon while sitting on its own arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. Yet we hear little of that inconvenient truth.
And we hear virtually nothing of the man who blew the whistle and remains silenced.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is there a double standard at play when nuclear-armed Israel bombs another country it claims wants to build the bomb? Should Mordechai Vanunu be allowed to leave Israel? If Ukraine could give up its nuclear arsenal in 1994, why shouldn't Israel do the same now? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's scheduled meeting with Donald Trump has been cancelled after the United States president decided to leave the G7 summit early to deal with the Middle East crisis.
- Australia's sovereign wealth fund will seek out more assets in places like Europe and Japan as President Donald Trump makes the US a less attractive place to invest.
- Australia's political and military leaders are warning of dangerous global conditions as violence in the Middle East escalates.
THEY SAID IT: "Everyone knows that Israel has nuclear weapons, but no one is talking about it. The world doesn't want nuclear weapons - not in Israel, not in the Middle East and not anywhere in the world." - Mordechai Vanunu
YOU SAID IT: The world might be a better place if its squabbling leaders - generally angry, old men - duked it out in cage fights rather than bombing civilians.
"Couldn't agree more," writes Veronica. "Let them kill each other if that is their fancy - just leave me and the rest of the sane world out of it!"
Sharon writes: "Yes, put the old men - sorry, little boys - into a cage and make them fight it out. It'd be a very short fight. Pathetic old gits all of them."
"For what seems like 100 years I've advocated the old and traditional method: the leaders lead the troops into battle," writes Old Donald. "Frontline. Wearing bright, distinctive clothing clearly marked to show they're the bosses. They know that if they lose, then their lands, spouses, children, even (yes) their dogs are forfeit and probably killed. With today's weaponry available, they think twice ... and ordinary, otherwise happy people get to live ordinary happy lives."
Jan writes: "I am so totally fed up with ruining every day of the rest of my life hearing and reading about the misery created by these dysfunctional misfits of men you mentioned that I try my best to avoid following the news altogether. Your tongue-in-cheek cage fighting scenario would save not only many innocent civilian lives but also those of the service personnel who are sent off to do the fighting to feed the insatiable egos of their so-called leaders."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
For a while he was an anonymous dishwasher at the Menzies Hotel in Sydney. After that, he drove cabs.
Like many who travelled the backpacker trail through South East Asia in those days he'd ended up in the emerald city and was soon taken with its charms. He decided to stay.
But Israeli Mordechai Vanunu harboured a disturbing secret. In his backpack were rolls of film that would finally confirm that his country had built an arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Vanunu had been an engineer at Israel's Dimona nuclear research facility in the Negev desert. In the grounds of the St John's Anglican church in East Sydney, he was befriended by a Colombian journalist who wanted to sell his story and photos to the British press. On September 10, 1986, Vanunu flew to London to tell his story to the Sunday Times.
He revealed Dimona's work in separating lithium-6 to produce tritium, essential for the production of fission boosted nuclear bombs. Vanunu's revelations led experts to estimate Israel had the capacity to produce up to 150 nuclear weapons. Finally, it was confirmed. Israel had the bomb.
An elaborate plan was developed by Mossad to capture Vanunu. In a classic honey trap the engineer was lured to Rome, where he was taken prisoner and spirited back to Israel. Eventually he was tried, convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison, 11 of which were served in solitary confinement.
Israel was determined to keep a tight lid on the Dimona story, not least because its chief ally, the United States, had a ban on funding countries which produced weapons of mass destruction.
Vanunu was released from prison under strict conditions in 2004. He is not allowed to leave Israel; he can't talk to foreigners without permission from the Shin Bet security service; he can't be in the vicinity of an airport or border crossing; his phone and internet use are subject to ongoing monitoring.
The Israeli whistleblower became a cause celebre for the Anglican Church, which had welcomed him as a convert to Christianity during his time in Australia. He was listed as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International after he was sent back to prison for breaching his release conditions by speaking to foreigners.
Vanunu has repeatedly applied for the restrictions placed on him to be lifted. Each year they are extended for another 12 months.
In July last year, he posted on social media that they'd been extended again.
Israel's nuclear secret has been out now for almost 40 years. Vanunu has been punished enough for his part in confirming what the West had long suspected but chose to turn a blind eye to.
Now the Middle East is ablaze once more. Israel claims the high moral ground in its determination to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon while sitting on its own arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. Yet we hear little of that inconvenient truth.
And we hear virtually nothing of the man who blew the whistle and remains silenced.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is there a double standard at play when nuclear-armed Israel bombs another country it claims wants to build the bomb? Should Mordechai Vanunu be allowed to leave Israel? If Ukraine could give up its nuclear arsenal in 1994, why shouldn't Israel do the same now? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's scheduled meeting with Donald Trump has been cancelled after the United States president decided to leave the G7 summit early to deal with the Middle East crisis.
- Australia's sovereign wealth fund will seek out more assets in places like Europe and Japan as President Donald Trump makes the US a less attractive place to invest.
- Australia's political and military leaders are warning of dangerous global conditions as violence in the Middle East escalates.
THEY SAID IT: "Everyone knows that Israel has nuclear weapons, but no one is talking about it. The world doesn't want nuclear weapons - not in Israel, not in the Middle East and not anywhere in the world." - Mordechai Vanunu
YOU SAID IT: The world might be a better place if its squabbling leaders - generally angry, old men - duked it out in cage fights rather than bombing civilians.
"Couldn't agree more," writes Veronica. "Let them kill each other if that is their fancy - just leave me and the rest of the sane world out of it!"
Sharon writes: "Yes, put the old men - sorry, little boys - into a cage and make them fight it out. It'd be a very short fight. Pathetic old gits all of them."
"For what seems like 100 years I've advocated the old and traditional method: the leaders lead the troops into battle," writes Old Donald. "Frontline. Wearing bright, distinctive clothing clearly marked to show they're the bosses. They know that if they lose, then their lands, spouses, children, even (yes) their dogs are forfeit and probably killed. With today's weaponry available, they think twice ... and ordinary, otherwise happy people get to live ordinary happy lives."
Jan writes: "I am so totally fed up with ruining every day of the rest of my life hearing and reading about the misery created by these dysfunctional misfits of men you mentioned that I try my best to avoid following the news altogether. Your tongue-in-cheek cage fighting scenario would save not only many innocent civilian lives but also those of the service personnel who are sent off to do the fighting to feed the insatiable egos of their so-called leaders."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
For a while he was an anonymous dishwasher at the Menzies Hotel in Sydney. After that, he drove cabs.
Like many who travelled the backpacker trail through South East Asia in those days he'd ended up in the emerald city and was soon taken with its charms. He decided to stay.
But Israeli Mordechai Vanunu harboured a disturbing secret. In his backpack were rolls of film that would finally confirm that his country had built an arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Vanunu had been an engineer at Israel's Dimona nuclear research facility in the Negev desert. In the grounds of the St John's Anglican church in East Sydney, he was befriended by a Colombian journalist who wanted to sell his story and photos to the British press. On September 10, 1986, Vanunu flew to London to tell his story to the Sunday Times.
He revealed Dimona's work in separating lithium-6 to produce tritium, essential for the production of fission boosted nuclear bombs. Vanunu's revelations led experts to estimate Israel had the capacity to produce up to 150 nuclear weapons. Finally, it was confirmed. Israel had the bomb.
An elaborate plan was developed by Mossad to capture Vanunu. In a classic honey trap the engineer was lured to Rome, where he was taken prisoner and spirited back to Israel. Eventually he was tried, convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison, 11 of which were served in solitary confinement.
Israel was determined to keep a tight lid on the Dimona story, not least because its chief ally, the United States, had a ban on funding countries which produced weapons of mass destruction.
Vanunu was released from prison under strict conditions in 2004. He is not allowed to leave Israel; he can't talk to foreigners without permission from the Shin Bet security service; he can't be in the vicinity of an airport or border crossing; his phone and internet use are subject to ongoing monitoring.
The Israeli whistleblower became a cause celebre for the Anglican Church, which had welcomed him as a convert to Christianity during his time in Australia. He was listed as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International after he was sent back to prison for breaching his release conditions by speaking to foreigners.
Vanunu has repeatedly applied for the restrictions placed on him to be lifted. Each year they are extended for another 12 months.
In July last year, he posted on social media that they'd been extended again.
Israel's nuclear secret has been out now for almost 40 years. Vanunu has been punished enough for his part in confirming what the West had long suspected but chose to turn a blind eye to.
Now the Middle East is ablaze once more. Israel claims the high moral ground in its determination to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon while sitting on its own arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. Yet we hear little of that inconvenient truth.
And we hear virtually nothing of the man who blew the whistle and remains silenced.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is there a double standard at play when nuclear-armed Israel bombs another country it claims wants to build the bomb? Should Mordechai Vanunu be allowed to leave Israel? If Ukraine could give up its nuclear arsenal in 1994, why shouldn't Israel do the same now? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's scheduled meeting with Donald Trump has been cancelled after the United States president decided to leave the G7 summit early to deal with the Middle East crisis.
- Australia's sovereign wealth fund will seek out more assets in places like Europe and Japan as President Donald Trump makes the US a less attractive place to invest.
- Australia's political and military leaders are warning of dangerous global conditions as violence in the Middle East escalates.
THEY SAID IT: "Everyone knows that Israel has nuclear weapons, but no one is talking about it. The world doesn't want nuclear weapons - not in Israel, not in the Middle East and not anywhere in the world." - Mordechai Vanunu
YOU SAID IT: The world might be a better place if its squabbling leaders - generally angry, old men - duked it out in cage fights rather than bombing civilians.
"Couldn't agree more," writes Veronica. "Let them kill each other if that is their fancy - just leave me and the rest of the sane world out of it!"
Sharon writes: "Yes, put the old men - sorry, little boys - into a cage and make them fight it out. It'd be a very short fight. Pathetic old gits all of them."
"For what seems like 100 years I've advocated the old and traditional method: the leaders lead the troops into battle," writes Old Donald. "Frontline. Wearing bright, distinctive clothing clearly marked to show they're the bosses. They know that if they lose, then their lands, spouses, children, even (yes) their dogs are forfeit and probably killed. With today's weaponry available, they think twice ... and ordinary, otherwise happy people get to live ordinary happy lives."
Jan writes: "I am so totally fed up with ruining every day of the rest of my life hearing and reading about the misery created by these dysfunctional misfits of men you mentioned that I try my best to avoid following the news altogether. Your tongue-in-cheek cage fighting scenario would save not only many innocent civilian lives but also those of the service personnel who are sent off to do the fighting to feed the insatiable egos of their so-called leaders."