One of my favourite pieces of music is the Sex Pistols' classic 'Holidays in the Sun' - a song that begins with the line, 'a cheap holiday in other people's misery'. This would have made a fitting epitaph for my holiday in Israel, except that the $3000 air ticket meant that it wasn't exactly cheap.
I went to Israel full of apprehension. Just knowing what we all know of the backdrop of paranoia and pain that hangs over that land is enough to make anybody apprehensive, but I also went carrying a dark secret - that I was a friend of Mordechai Vanunu's, and I was nervous about the reaction I'd get should this truth suddenly become public.
My friend Morde was completing an 18-year prison sentence for doing something that most people in this country consider heroic. Morde told the world about a secret stash of WMD's ('weapons of mass destruction') that are being developed in an underground factory in the Negev desert. Most people I know think he did the world an enormous favour, but most people in his own country wish Morde had kept his mouth shut. Indeed, most Israelis regard him as a traitor!
In order to try to understand this attitude towards my friend, I tried talking to local people about their attitude to nuclear weapons. The response I received was alarming! "They're only there as our last resort" one articulate young journalist said to me. "Just in case we get completely overrun." "Well ... what happens then?" I asked. "Well", he said, "then we destroy everybody!"
Tragically, this was not an isolated example. Almost every time I sought an opinion from taxi-drivers, cafe workers or hostel staff concerning Israel's nuclear capacity, the word 'Armageddon' would come up. And these apologists seemed quite accepting of the fact that in order to strike this decisive blow against their neighbours, they might indeed need to take the rest of the planet with them!
Thankfully not every Israeli took this position. Indeed, the 'Free Vanunu' campaign itself had a strong local contingent of active peace campaigners.
These local activists were some of the most impressive people I met during my stay in Israel. Even in Australia they would have been impressive - mainly young, idealistic University students, with a commitment to world peace and global disarmament - impressive but not extraordinary in our context. In this context though, growing up in an environment so overshadowed by violence and fear, these brave young souls stood out like shining lights.
The violent side of Israeli culture was never more tangible to me than it was on the day of Morde's release. I had traveled many thousands of miles to be reunited with my friend on the day that he walked free. In my dreams I had imagined our reunion countless times. Morde would walk through those gates with his belongings in one hand, and me and a few friends and family would be there to embrace him and lead him away. I didn't really realise until I reached the prison just how far from reality my imaginary depiction of that scene would prove to be.
There were hundreds of us at the prison, and the vast majority were not Morde's friends. As the time of his release drew near, I tried to move towards the prison gate where I had always imagined myself standing as Morde walked out. I soon found myself squeezed into the middle of an angry mob.
It was certainly one of the nastiest experiences of my life. The whole mass of men seemed to seethe with aggression, and each individual was competing to claw his way to the front, for what exact purpose was not entirely clear. Thankfully I could not understand the chants that were being sung to the tune of 'here we go, here we go, here we go', but I was told later that the words for 'death' and 'traitor' had been central to all the mantras that were chanted that day.
On reflection I now think that it was a good thing that by the time Morde came through those prison gates the police had packed us together so tightly that I wasn't able to move a limb. What prevented me from running out to embrace Morde also prevented my neighbours from reaching him with more sinister intent.
Thankfully the car with my friend in it got away with no more than a dented panel and a shower of eggs. One antagonist did manage to mount his motorbike in time to catch the car, but after slamming into the side of the vehicle he lost his mount, and the 'free man' was able to proceed in peace.
Back at the gaol things then started to unravel. With their anger unresolved, the mob started to vent their aggression on other targets. I found myself swept up in this like a wave breaking over my head. One second I was walking towards my bus. The next moment I was surrounded by a mob led by an angry rabbi, screaming at the top of his voice. 'Go home' was the only phrase I could understand. Equally unambiguous though were the rough hands that were being placed on my body, the kicks that were landing on my legs, and the spittle that was accumulating on my face.
I didn't see any path of escape in this situation, so I placed my hands together in a position of prayer and bowed my head, working on the hitherto successful strategy that if you refuse to fight back, guys are generally very reluctant to beat you up. It worked. A man grabbed me from behind with both hands and hauled me out of the centre of the mob. I made it back to my bus without further incident.
All of this would have been water off a duck's back had Morde and I then been able to board a plane and fly back to Australia. Unfortunately the authorities had ruled that this 'free' man should not be allowed to leave the country, nor go anywhere near a border or a foreign embassy, nor have any contact with 'foreigners'. The 'foreigner' restriction was aimed at the foreign press. Even so, technically, I wasn't allowed to spend extensive time with my old friend without risking seeing him re-arrested!
We were reunited briefly on the evening of that same day of his release. Unfortunately I cried so much that I really didn't get the chance to tell him all of the things that I had prepared for that moment. All I can hope for now is that one-day we will catch up properly - perhaps over a few beers back here in the land of Oz. I know that Morde would like that.
Getting Morde out of Israel is indeed the next big challenge for the Vanunu campaign. I don't know how hard this will prove to be. I do know that I had a bloody hard time getting out myself. In my case it wasn't that they didn't want me out (they held off the departure of the plane until I got on board). They just seemed determined to let me know that they didn't want me back.
I had been warned by the other peace activists of intimidation tactics employed by airport staff. Ironically, I initially made it through all four security checkpoints without being stopped. It was only as I proceeded to the final gate that a young man in a suit caught up with me and said, "Excuse me sir, but can I see your passport." He then told me that there had been a 'problem' and that he would need to retain my passport until the 'problem' had been resolved. I was then shuffled into a small room to begin a three-hour process of interrogation, body searching and luggage examination.
In the end the verdict was that I was free to go and that there was nothing suspect about the contents of my bags, but that the bags themselves were suspect and that none of them could be taken on board as hand luggage. This meant that I could carry with me my camera, but not in my camera case, my laptop, but not my laptop case, my video camera, but not the bag with the shoulder strap that I lugged it around in, my toothbrush and paste, but not my toiletries bag, and even my Palm-pilot portable keyboard, but not the little vinyl dust-jacket that I kept it in. I could take what I liked, so long as I carried it in my arms.
It was just a game, though they managed to keep straight faces throughout the whole ordeal. For my part I refused to get on board without the bulk of my carry-on items. In the end they agreed to give me a large cardboard box to put them in.
And so my cheap holiday in other people's misery came to an end. But now the real work begins. For I returned home, but I left my friend inside the confines of St George's Cathedral in Jerusalem, where the good bishop has offered him sanctuary.
Morde can't leave the Cathedral grounds. He has at least two reporters on every exit, taking shifts to cover his movements 24-hours per day. If Morde tries to walk out into the street, he'll be immediately surrounded and identified, and given the number of locals that would count it as a point of pride to be responsible for his death, Morde's life in the open probably wouldn't last more than a few minutes.
I'd like to see my friend back here in Australia. I wonder if the Australian government has the courage to offer him citizenship?
DBS. April 2004'Fighting' Father Dave Smith - Parish Priest, community worker, professional fighter, father of three - met Vaunu in Sydney in 1986. They have been friends ever since.
Vanunu is featured in Father Dave's book, 'Sex, the Ring & the Eucharist'. Get a free preview copy when you sign up for Dave's newsletter at www.fatherdave.org
Those of us hundreds of miles from ground zero sat... Read More
City Governments is their quest for; "quality of life" often... Read More
I hear it all the time; you can't say that.... Read More
Everyone knows the United States Government often falls down in... Read More
I have witnessed a new era of security in the... Read More
In the last two weeks, two non-senior US officials indirectly... Read More
Policemen in many US cities are taking their new authority... Read More
Having redundancies and today's technologies in transportation we have protected... Read More
Originally published in 1958, "The Ugly American" (Lederer & Burdick)... Read More
In a move that rocked the online world and left... Read More
Aspartame activists are constantly being attacked because all data are... Read More
In today's Rants from Lance session I address the question... Read More
With people living longer we have some problems as those... Read More
In this day and age of tattletale, whistleblower heroes and... Read More
Mexican has tariffs on goods, which come into its country... Read More
Publicity is correlative to your position in the community. Seldom... Read More
Airlines do not allow cell phones on board, but they... Read More
Some call it the "unofficial" or "informal" economy, others call... Read More
We have read about the unemployment rate being high. Really... Read More
The number-one question people ask us is, "What possessed you... Read More
In what the Americans love to describe as the war... Read More
Many people make a lot of money in war. In... Read More
There are no stupid questions, only stupid people. Ask an... Read More
Indonesia's Energy Minister, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, is unhappy with the modest... Read More
The notion that local governments should have almost total monopoly... Read More
The official working week is being reduced to 35 hours... Read More
[Author's Note: Another essay that I wrote on notebook paper... Read More
Japan lit its candles of pure, "noble sadness" on the... Read More
Americans pride themselves on being the best, that's a fact.... Read More
An interesting conversation that I thought I must share with... Read More
Many folks who are pro-NASA and Pro-Space Colonies say that... Read More
Many non-profit groups are feeling upset that they are allowed... Read More
Well the title is absolute Bull Crap, but this article... Read More
Many people make a lot of money in war. In... Read More
Dust from Deserts and Particulate ControlThe greatest contributor to particulate... Read More
They do not allow the criticism of the president in... Read More
The news media will regularly present views from Democratic (liberal),... Read More
The other day I was sucker punched, hoodwinked, bamboozled, had... Read More
We should all give much kudos to the Federal Trade... Read More
It looks overall like the liberals are advocating for no... Read More
Is the Federal Trade Commission really stopping SPAM? Is the... Read More
The devastating loss in case of Elliot Spitzer for NY... Read More
All countries have specific things that are abundant in the... Read More
We can all see the issues involved in the cloning... Read More
I. The FactsJust days before a much-awaited donor conference, the... Read More
In Belarus parliament is going to struggle with degeneration of... Read More
US Steel prices have cost franchisees in my company and... Read More
The UnbornWith all this cloning in the news one can't... Read More
Reform Social Security has been talked of Capital Hill for... Read More
The CBR taxes the Pakistani source income of nonresident individuals... Read More
Contrary to the Hobbesian prediction of anarchy (freedom) and brutish... Read More
I've been thinking again. I know some of my readers... Read More
Without the flow of fuel our very mobile society comes... Read More
There is nothing-absolutely nothing-insofar as political power when it is... Read More
All the indicators show an improving economy and, finally, the... Read More
Prosecutors with political ambitions are known to modify the truth... Read More
Leave it to the Columbia City Police Officers Association in... Read More
It is important as populations expand to work on the... Read More
There are many mines around the world, which are owned... Read More
Environmentalists say GM Seeds are bad for the environment, dangerous... Read More
Many non-profit groups are feeling upset that they are allowed... Read More
Publicity is correlative to your position in the community. Seldom... Read More
"Rugged individualism" is actually a euphemism for Thomas Hobbes' baseless... Read More
With the world's largest oil and natural gas reserves, second... Read More
With the recent shakeups in the presidential cabinet, it has... Read More
The organic farmers are angry that Monsantos terminator GM seeds... Read More
Political |