Uri Avnery comments on the Vanunu case.
“An Iranian technician called Jalal-a-Din Taheri, who had been working at the nuclear reactor at Bushehr, managed to defect to Europe, where he disclosed the Ayatollahs’ plans for producing nuclear bombs. Taheri was acclaimed a hero throughout the world. A number of organizations nominated him for the Nobel Peace Price. President Bush praised his courage. Ariel Sharon invited him to come and live in Israel, even calling him one of the Righteous of the Nations. The Ayatollahs denounced him as a traitor, infidel, Crusader and Zionist.”
“This is, of course, an entirely fictitious story. But it corresponds exactly to the story of Mordechai Vanunu, who is considered by almost all Israelis as a despicable traitor – proving once again that treason, like pornography, is a matter of geography.”
To reinforce Avnery’s point, the same people who are so vociferous about persecuting Vanunu, bemoan the fate of Pollard who is serving a life sentance in the U.S. for spying on Israel’s behalf.