We’re told that Israel, unlike the Arab states that surround it, is a “free” country, a “democracy” just like us: indeed, the Israelis are trying to push their way into NATO partly on this basis. But the reality, as is often the case when it comes to the Israelis, is quite different, as the case of Mordechai Vanunu makes all too clear.

Convicted of “treason” when he revealed to the London Times what everybody already knew—that Israel had nukes—Vanunu, a technician at the Dimonoa nuclear facility, was kidnapped by the Mossad and brought to Israel, where he served 18 years in prison, most of it in solitary confinement. Finally released, in 2004, he continued to speak out against Israel’s weapons of mass destruction—which the Israelis, to this day, refuse to acknowledge—and he has now been jailed again, this time for the “crime” of speaking to “foreigners” and speaking his mind.

Israel a “free” country? Yeah, and Paris Hilton is a virgin ….