10 Traitors Who Were Proven Right
1. Israel Had To Tell The Truth About Its Nuclear Weapons - Mordechai Vanunu
Many whistleblowers could have made this list, but we think Mordechai Vanunu's incredible story deserves highlighting.
Born 14 October 1954 in Morocco, Vanunu's family had moved to Israel in 1963. As a young man, Vanunu showed no indication that he would turn against the State of Israel, and he went on to perform his compulsory military service and saw action in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
After the war, Vanunu went to work at the Negev Nuclear Research Centre, where Israel was developing her nuclear weapons. The outside world had been monitoring the country's nuclear weapons program for some time but lacked concrete proof, and Israel refused to comment either way.
Initially a staunch patriot, Vanunu gradually began to question Israel's treatment of its Arab citizens and policy toward its Arab neighbours. Vanunu also became increasingly left-wing in his politics and was allegedly a member of Israel's communist party by the mid 1980's.
Around the same time, Vanunu took secret pictures inside the Negev facility, though he did not make any immediate moves to release the images or divulge any state secrets.
However, in 1986, Vanunu decided to sell the pictures and the story to the British press. The Sunday Times took Vanunu's allegations to the Israeli Embassy, who dismissed the claims.
At the same time, Mossad (the Israeli secret service) began preparations for Vanunu's capture. Luring the lonely Vanunu to Italy through a classic honey trap operation, Mossad abducted Vanunu and brought him back to Israel.
Convicted of treason and espionage, Vanunu was jailed in 1988 and spent the next 18 years in prison. Since his release, he has been incarcerated several more times, mostly due to alleged breaches of his parole terms.
Amnesty International has declared Vanunu a prisoner of conscience, and outside of Israel, he has been lauded for attempting to foster greater transparency over weapons of mass destruction.
As for Israel's nuclear weapons program? The country maintains its policy of ambiguity. However, subsequent declassification of documents has largely corroborated Vanunu's claims.
While Vanunu's actions do amount to treason under most definitions of the word, many would agree that lasting peace can only be achieved through openness.