Israeli court upholds Vanunu restrictions

Israel's Supreme Court today upheld security restrictions that limit the movements of nuclear whistleblower Mr Mordechai Vanunu…

Israel's Supreme Court today upheld security restrictions that limit the movements of nuclear whistleblower Mr Mordechai Vanunu.

Mr Vanunu completed an 18-year prison term in April, but Israel's security establishment decided the man who revealed Israel's nuclear secrets would not be allowed to leave the country or speak to the foreign media.

Mr Vanunu's movements around seaports and airports have also been restricted.

My country is not Israel. My country is outside of Israel. Israel didn't respect me for 18 years. For 18 years, Israel condemned me as a traitor, as a spy. I don't like Israel, I don't want to live in Israel
Mr Mordechai Vanunu, nuclear whistleblower

The Supreme Court in Jerusalem ruled the restrictions were necessary, deciding Mr Vanunu could be hiding more state secrets.

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"We are saying always that Israel is not a real democracy and today we are seeing it inside the Supreme Court," Mr Vanunu said after the ruling. "We will find a way to continue to survive and demand the rights to live as best we can."

Mr Vanunu has said he wants to live abroad and insists he has no more state secrets to reveal.

"My country is not Israel. My country is outside of Israel. Israel didn't respect me for 18 years. For 18 years, Israel condemned me as a traitor, as a spy. I don't like Israel, I don't want to live in Israel. I want to be free and to leave Israel," Mr Vanunu said.

Many Israelis despise the Moroccan-born Israeli for granting in 1986 an interview to the Sunday Times. Mr Vanunu - who worked as a technician in Israel's nuclear reactor in the desert town of Dimona - provided the newspaper with pictures and details about the top-secret site.

Israel has a policy of "ambiguity" regarding its nuclear arsenal, refusing to confirm or deny its capabilities.

AP