RT: What's the stance of other countries when it comes to Israel's refusal to admit any program of nuclear weapons or any possession? Where do the stand on this? How do they view Israel?
DE: Well, apparently, the fact that Vanunu was given permission to give this interview at all was taken by various media, major media, as indicating a real shift in Israeli policy, and coming very close, at last, to coming clean about what their status is. By the way, what Vanunu indicated was, is that their nuclear stockpile was far larger than even our American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had estimated. He's described these stories, saying that it was at least 100 weapons. People who'd guessed earlier, thought it was much lower.
Actually, Vanunu was saying at that time that he thought the material was far larger than that, enough for some 300 or more weapons, and I wouldn't be surprised if, to this day, the Israeli stockpile is being very underestimated. That might indicate, for example, that they actually have the third largest stockpile in the world, after the US and Russia, rather than lagging behind France, for example.
RT: How do you think things have changed over the decades that have past? Do you see governments now putting in more controls and more protections to prevent whistleblowers? Is it becoming harder?
DE: Well there are people who can't be deterred by the threat even of very heavy, indefinite or lifetime sentences. Ed Snowden, obviously, living in exile now, and probably in danger of his life indefinitely, is willing to take on that risk. Chelsea Manning, who is in prison right now, for revealing this. I think all of those, including Vanunu: Let me just say they are my personal heroes. I admire them.
I regard Vanunu as a friend, having met him several times and corresponded with him. I went to Israel to intercede for him in an appellate hearing. I think he is the preeminent prophet of the nuclear era. Someone who not only risked life in jail or death, but actually served a tremendous long time -- as I say, 10 and a half years in solitary confinement in 18 years. So, I think he deserves to be honored, really, throughout the world, and he is in much of the world. And to be allowed, certainly, to join his new wife -- I'm very happy for her, that they've gotten together -- to join his wife in Norway and live his life.
But he's clearly not willing to be entirely muffled on his views about nuclear weapons and his belief, actually, that the nuclear policy of Israel is shortsighted, and dangerous to the state itself, in promoting proliferation to which Israel is very subject and vulnerable. So, I think he should be allowed, not because he's suffered enough, but because he did exactly the right thing, and it's time to recognize that.
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