Vanunu nominated for Nobel Peace Prize yesterday

by pro-vanunu Mon Dec 20, 2004 17:32

Visiting Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire on Sunday compared Israel's reported nuclear arsenal to Hitler's gas chambers while calling on Israel to lift travel restrictions on nuclear whistle blower Mordechai Vanunu.

Maguire, awarded the 1976 prize for her Northern Ireland peace campaign, was at the prison gates to welcome Vanunu when he was released in April after serving an 18-year sentence for disclosing Israel's nuclear secrets.

"When I think about nuclear weapons, I've been to Auschwitz concentration camp," Maguire said. "Nuclear weapons are only gas chambers perfected, ... and for a people who know what gas chambers are, how can you even think of building perfect gas chambers?"

from
http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Diplomacy/4614.htm

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background:
Indymedia.ie Interviews Mordechai Vanunu
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=66917

Mordechai Vanunu, right, and Irish 1977 Nobel peace prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire

by Justin Morahan - Peace People Wed Dec 22, 2004 03:34

[On December 19, over 40 journalists, including seven T.V. cameras,
attended a standing room only press conference in East Jerusalem to
hear Mairead Maguire, Mordechai Vanunu and Issam Makhoul. Below is
the press release issued afterwards by the International Campaign to
Free Vanunu.]


PRESS RELEASE
INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO FREE VANUNU


WHISTLEBLOWER VANUNU NOMINATED FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE BY LAUREATE
MAIREAD MAGUIRE
KNESSET MEMBER CALLS FOR VANUNU'S FREEDOM

In a press conference held in East Jerusalem on December 19, Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire (Ireland), announced
that she is nominating Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu
for the prize in 2005. Vanunu has been nominated for the prize every
year since 1989. Maguire received the Nobel Prize in 1976, in
recognition of her work for peace in Ireland. "Mordechai Vanunu has
paid a heavy price in order to protect us all from nuclear weapons.
We are all indebted to him for telling the truth to power and I have
come to thank him on behalf of his human family," Maguire said.
Explaining that she had arrived in Israel from a women's peace
conference in Jordan, Maguire urged Israelis and Palestinians to work
nonviolently for peace. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate urged the
Israeli government to free Vanunu from the restrictions that keep him
hostage in Israel and to "let Mordechai come home for Christmas."
Maguire added, that she would continue to nominate Vanunu for the
award "until he gets it."

Issam Makhoul, Member of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), who in
February 2000 initiated the first parliamentary debate on nuclear
policy ever to be held in Israel, stated: "Only those who struggle
for total disarmament of the Middle East, including Israel, of all
weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, biological and chemical - has
the moral right to condemn Iran for its nuclear project. The
countries that equip Israel with the means to launch nuclear
warheads, that supply it with submarines and enable it to develop its
missiles, do not have the moral right to condemn the Iranian nuclear
project. Anyone who opposes the Iranian project must also oppose the
Israeli nuclear arsenal.

"Along with Mordechai Vanunu, I and other Israeli activists refuse to
be silenced. We continue to demand, that our government reveal the
truth about its WMDs, enable a full international inspection of all
WMD sites and dismantle its arsenal. To this end, we are currently
involved in organizing an international conference on a nuclear-free
Mediterranean area, to be held in April 2005. This date marks the
first anniversary of Vanunu's release from prison. This date will
hopefully mark the beginning of an anti-nuclear movement in Israel.

"Mordechai Vanunu is not a traitor, he is an Israeli hero. The
nuclear bomb does not protect Israel, it endangers Israel."

Mordechai Vanunu , recently elected rector of Glasgow University in
Scotland, described the restrictions that were imposed on him when he
was released from 18 years imprisonment, in April 2004, the
subsequent police harassment and threats to which he has been
subjected, and the impact that they have on his ability to rebuild
his life. Asked why he refuses to speak to the Israeli media in
Hebrew, Vanunu answered - in Hebrew: "The government of Israel
refuses to recognize my human rights. I am prohibited from speaking
to foreigners. I say to the Israeli public: I am not your enemy. All
I want is for Israel to abolish its nuclear weapons, to respect the
rights of the Palestinian people and to let me go free." Continuing
in English, Vanunu stated, that he has no further secrets to reveal
about Israel's nuclear reactor and that he demands the right to
express his anti-nuclear views, to speak freely to the media and to
write his prison memoirs. All he wants for Christmas, Vanunu said,
was to be free to leave Israel and celebrate with his adoptive family
in the USA.



Contact information:

In Israel: Rayna Moss: Tel. 972-507-368236, email: [email protected]
In the USA: Felice Cohen-Joppa, Tel/Fax 520-323-8697, email:
[email protected]
In Britain: Ernest Rodker, Tel/Fax: +44 20 7378 9324 e-mail:
[email protected]
In Norway: Fredrik Heffermehl,Tel. +47-2244 8003 Fax: +47-2244 7616
email: [email protected]

www.vanunu.com www.vanunu.co.uk www.vanunu.org

by pro-vanunu Wed Dec 22, 2004 13:55

ICELAND has rejected a request by the United States to drop the offer of a residency permit for former chess champion Bobby Fischer, officials said yesterday.

James Gadsden, the US ambassador to Iceland, had asked the country last week to withdraw its offer because Mr Fischer is wanted in the United States on criminal charges. Currently held in Japan, Mr Fischer is being sought by the US after violating international sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing chess there in 1992.

by Noel Wed Dec 22, 2004 14:09

The Nobel Peace Prize has been a joke ever since the terrorist Arafat was awarded one.

Who else has been nominated? Osama?

As for Ireland taking in that misfit Vanunu.
Aren't there enough Jew haters there already?
Or does the general tone of posts on IndyMedia give an unrepresentative picture?

by Ray Wed Dec 22, 2004 14:14

Oh, that explains everything.

by Frank Wed Dec 22, 2004 15:57

I can assure 'Noel' that Ireland is not ful of 'jew hater's' as he puts it.

Along with many jews worldwide, many of us hate the genocide, torture, land thefts and war crimes perpetrated by the Israeli state.

Dont confuse Israel with being Jewish -- they have nothing in common

by Bright Eyes Wed Dec 22, 2004 16:30

Had a look at that 'Scotsman' site. Don't know if you spotted this one. Follow the link. Pat C might find it of interest too.

by V Sun Dec 26, 2004 00:51

1) Vanunu Detained on Way to Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

2) Vanunu Released to 5 Days of House Arrest

3) Send holiday greetings to Mordechai Vanunu

==========================================

1) Vanunu Detained on Way to Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

Vanunu held over Bethlehem trip

Israeli former nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu has been detained trying to enter Bethlehem in the West Bank in defiance of a travel ban. Vanunu, a Christian convert, had wanted to pray at the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve, police said.
Vanunu was released in April after 18 years in jail for disclosing details of Israel's nuclear weapons programme. Israel insists Vanunu still poses a security threat and he is banned from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He is banned from leaving Israel or talking to foreigners without permission.

'Knew it was illegal'

Police said Vanunu was stopped in a Volkswagen van bearing the letters TV - indicating a press vehicle - at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Police said a vehicle search had revealed only a Father Christmas hat.
"He said he wanted to pray at the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve, even though he knew it was illegal for him to leave Israel," Gil Kleiman said, according to AP news agency.
"He was detained by officers then moved to a police station for further questioning." Vanunu remained in police custody, Mr Kleiman said.
Vanunu was briefly arrested for breaching restrictions on talking to foreign media six weeks ago. Following his detention and subsequent order to remain under house arrest, some high-level supporters including the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem and UK politicians accused the Israeli government of harassment.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http:// news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4124597.stm
Published: 2004/12/24 21:24:59 GMT
© BBC MMIV

-=-=-=-=
Posted on Fri, Dec. 24, 2004
Israeli Nuclear Whistleblower Detained
Associated Press

JERUSALEM - Israeli police detained nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu at a checkpoint as he tried to travel to the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Friday, preventing him from attending midnight Mass in the traditional birthplace of Christ, a police spokesman said.
Vanunu, a Jewish convert to Christianity, was released from an Israeli prison in April after completing an 18-year sentence for revealing secrets of Israel's nuclear program to the Sunday Times newspaper in London.

Under the terms of his release, the former technician at the Israeli nuclear facility in the Negev desert town of Dimona was barred from leaving Israeli territory and contacting foreigners.

Police spokesman Gil Kleiman said Vanunu was stopped at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, which is four miles away. Kleiman said Vanunu was in a Volkswagen van emblazoned with the letters "TV" - commonly used to identify press vehicles - and had a Santa Claus hat in his possession.

"He said he wanted to pray at the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve, even though he knew it was illegal for him to leave Israel," Kleiman said. "He was detained by officers then moved to a police station for further questioning." He said Vanunu remained in policy custody late Friday.

Since his release from prison in April, Vanunu has been living at a Jerusalem Church compound. Last month he was briefly detained by police on suspicion of revealing classified information before being freed. Vanunu denied those charges, saying he has no more secrets to disclose.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/consumer_news/10493973.htm?1c

==============
2) Vanunu Released to 5 Days of House Arrest

From Rayna Moss, Israel:

After being arrested by police on his way to Mass in Bethlehem on the evening of December 24, Mordechai Vanunu was questioned and released at 2:00 a.m. on December 25 to five days of house arrest. He is now confined to St. George's Cathedral.

Vanunu's arrest for violating the restrictions which prohibit him from leaving his city of residence without permission from Israeli authorities and from entering the Palestinian territories was widely reported in Israeli and international media. Vanunu is now celebrating Christmas with the community of St. George's Cathedral.

Israeli Whistleblower Vanunu Freed Without Charge
December 25, 2004
By REUTERS Filed at 7:12 a.m. ET
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu was freed on Saturday after being detained trying to get into the Palestinian town of Bethlehem for Christmas in defiance of restrictions, police said.
Police said Vanunu, a convert to Christianity from Judaism, had defied travel restrictions imposed after his release in April from an 18-year prison term for treason. He was detained for questioning on Thursday.
Vanunu was ordered to post bail of 50,000 shekels and to remain at his lodgings at Saint George's Anglican cathedral in Jerusalem for the next five days. "We are not planning to charge him," a police spokeswoman said.
Vanunu's revelations to a British newspaper led experts to conclude that Israel had between 100 and 200 nuclear weapons.
Under restrictions imposed after his release from jail, he is banned from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Vanunu is also forbidden to speak to journalists. Six weeks ago he was arrested for breaking this restriction, but released after a few hours.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-israel-vanu nu.html?ex=1104978963&ei=1&en=b77f22b01b288e99
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company


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3) Write to Mordechai

Mordechai would love to hear from his friends and supporters. You can send him Christmas and New Year's greetings at:
Mordechai Vanunu
c/o Cathedral Church of St. George
20 Nablus Road
PO Box 19018
Jerusalem 91190
Israel

by Justin Morahan - Peace People Sun Dec 26, 2004 01:56

.

Christmas Eve on the road to Bethlehem

Mordechai Vanunu in car after arrest