Olmert Says Israel Will Not Accept A Nuclear Iran

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in comments published Tuesday (http://www.iht.com) that Israel would not allow Iran, which it considers its top enemy, to produce nuclear weapons.

"Israel can't accept the possibility of Iranians having nuclear weapons and we will act together with the international forces, starting with the Americans, in order to prevent it," Olmert told The Jerusalem Post daily in an interview.

Olmert said he thought U.S. President George W. Bush was "absolutely determined" to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Israel, he added, won't accept a situation in which Iran possesses such arms.

"I don't think Israel can be reconciled (to this)," Olmert said. "I don't intend to. This is a danger that is just one thing that we can't afford."

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This isn’t the first time Israel planned to use Nuclear Weapons against its enemies.

In October 1973, with its forces battling to repel invasions by Egypt and Syria, Israel did what had previously been unthinkable: It briefly wheeled its nuclear-capable Jericho-1 missiles out of their secret silos.

That, historians believe, was picked up by U.S. spy satellites and stirred up fears in Washington of a catastrophic flare-up between the Jewish state and the Soviet-backed Arabs. Message received, an urgent American shipment of conventional arms to Israel was quick to follow, and helped turn the war.

So when did the Israelis become a proper nuclear power – why did not the international community stop it from happening? Only one man can answer that question. A brave Israeli who exposed to the world of Israel’s capabilities, he today remains a prisoners within Israel.

Here is an extract of an interview conducted by the Metro Newspaper on Mordechai Vanunu

60 Seconds, London Metro
By James Ellis - Monday, September 19, 2005

Mordechai Vanunu is the technician who blew the whistle on Israel's nuclear weapons programme in 1986. He was lured to Rome by a Mossad honeytrap, kidnapped and sent back to Israel. Released last year after 18 years in prison but placed under state arrest, he cannot leave the country nor speak to foreigners and risked arrest by giving this interview to Metro.

Some people would call you a traitor.
I did what I did for peace, not against Israel. I was punished unjustly and beyond reasonable means. I am still being punished. That is the Jewish state for you. I was born a Moroccan Jew but I soon realised that I could not follow the religion, especially in Israel with its Zionist policies. So, I became a Christian before I was captured.

What kind of reaction do you now get on the streets?
I went to the Old City of East Jerusalem last week and one woman started to call me a bastard and a traitor. I ignore them but I also find myself quite lucky not to have faced that much aggression since my release. My way is not to be afraid and to behave like normal. Those are tricks I learnt while in prison.

Tell us about the tricks.
The way to survive is not to be paranoid. The Israelis tried to make me paranoid for 18 years but did not succeed. I was very stubborn. The guards are stupid, they just follow orders, so I tried to understand what they were trying to achieve and made sure I did the opposite. I was not tortured physically but there was a lot of psychological torture. They can only do physical torture if you are aggressive, so I never gave them the chance.

What were the conditions like?
I had 11 years in solitary and was only able to see the guards and, occasionally, some of my family. They did let me have books, TV and a computer, though. I was also allowed out to exercise for a couple of hours a day.

What was going back to a normal prison population like?
I didn't really. The guards wanted to put me with Jewish prisoners; there were about 40 of them and 600 Palestinians. All the Jews were prison informers who sucked up to the guards. I told them so and told them that they had damaged their pride. That's the kind of thing prison does to people as it's easy to become demoralised. It made me not want to spend time with the Jewish prisoners though, so I mainly stayed in my cell.

Did you suspect the woman in the honeytrap?
No. I really liked her and trusted her.

Are you now more wary of women?
No, that experience did not, and cannot, change my human nature to love and enjoy the friendship of women and their company. In fact, it's the opposite, I want to prove that 18 years in prison has not changed me.

What's the root cause of problems in Israel/Palestine?
Everything is based on religion. The Israelis take Arab places and change their names. They are baptising Palestine into Israel. It makes the Israeli people believe this really is the promised land and that Jews are the chosen people. It's very powerful propaganda, as the younger generation in Israel know nothing of the Arab names for towns and places.

What's your opinion on Israel's security wall around the West Bank?
When I was first released, I'd heard about it but I'd not seen it. When I saw it I was shocked. People should come and see for themselves and see how it violates the human rights of Palestinians on the West Bank. Then they should write to their MPs and ask them to intervene.

Israel cannot speak of peace when it comes to the Wall - it is such an obstacle to the peace process. It does not stop terror and does not even follow the Green Line. It is designed to grab land and make people's lives more difficult. It's putting people in prison without imprisonment.

It's modern, sophisticated psychological warfare and will stop the Palestinians from building their own state. The Israelis ignored the International Court of Justice, which has called it illegal. Perhaps if Tony Blair said something they would respect his views.

The threat of going to prison still hangs over you. Did you achieve anything?
That is another subject to challenge Tony Blair about. It's OK for him to speak about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Iran but not about the ones Israel has. He should especially say something about the programme now it has been revealed that Britain actually helped Israel develop nuclear weapons when it sold 20 tonnes of heavy water to the country in 1958. Previously, Norway and France had been blamed.

What's the solution to the Israel/Palestine problem?
One state, two people. Two states will just make for a permanent conflict as neither side can trust each other. It will also keep a Jewish state and one of apartheid against Palestinians who live in Israel as Israeli Arabs. I want democracy for everyone. The Israelis say they are proud of democracy but we do not have it. Maybe we could start with two states and reunify at a later date. If there was one democratic state, with equal rights for everyone, the Arab world would have no choice but to accept Israel.

Will there ever be peace?
Maybe in 50 years. In about 30 years the Israelis will realise they should destroy the Wall. The suicide bombers and those who promote them will have to realise that their actions have only served the Israeli cause. But the Israeli policies are the ones that have created the suicide bombers. They kill people's families, they take their land and they destroy their houses.

What's next for you?
I have a court appearance coming up for the last time I spoke to a journalist. If I am not sent back to prison I will try and make it to Bethlehem for Christmas. I tried last year but, as it's in a Palestinian-controlled area, I was arrested by the police. Maybe I'll make it this time.