Vanunu revealed details of his detention by writing on his hand: "Vanunu M was hijacked in Rome. ITL. 30.9.86, 21:00. Came to Rome by fly BA504."
In summary, the man's detention was not via formal extradition (putting it more politely than the facts merit). He acted consciously and not for personal gain. He has served 18 years in prison, including 11 in solitary confinement. The court did not allow even censored extracts from the transcript of proceedings to be issued until 11 years after his 1988 conviction. The then head of Mossad, Shabtai Shavit, told ABC Australia's AM program that his murder had been actively contemplated.
Israel is not a signatory of the NPT but has nevertheless not been honest about its nuclear arsenal; despite Vanunu's revelations and former Prime Minister Olmert's tactit TV admission. This admission should be a bar to US financial assistance, as there is a Congressional bar on supporting countries who possess weapons of mass destruction (according to the bbc article linked above). This is of course not a matter for HMG itself but is nonetheless significant.
There is also evidence of Israel's involvement of WMD proliferation - an American academic claims to have classified documents showing that Israel tried to sell nuclear weapons to apartheid South Africa and may have been involved in that country's eventual production of nuclear weapons.
Ironically, in the same week Vanunu was jailed again, israel had the audacity to question Judge Goldstone's (of UN Gaza War report fame) apartheid record, despite their own complicity with the racist republic.
Vanunu's selflessness in speaking out, and the dogged determination he has shown in refusing to be silenced or to repent (as surely would you or I, if we are honest, simply to save our skins), make him one of the most outstanding men of conscious ever to have walked this earth. And like all other outstanding men of conscious (Jesus, Gandhi, Mandela etc) the temporal community has persecuted him but since it has not yet killed him, there is the chance for us to redeem ourselves by showing him some mercy, having already ruined his life.
Considering Israel's contempt for the international community, given both in its failure to sign the NPT and its possession of nuclear weapons nonetheless, as well as its forging of UK passports for its assassins in Dubai; it seems that HMG should not restrain itself in its criticism of the conditions under which Vanunu is restrained (upon his forthcoming release for breaching those same illegitimate release conditions). I note that the Scottish Government of Alex Salmond supports the lifting of his restrictions.
Like Mandela, Vanunu could have a lot to offer Israel and the world in promoting nuclear disarmament (South Africa remained the only country to have unilaterally disarmed - an example to Israel, the UK and all nuclear states - the NPT signatories amongst which have already agreed to Article VI's "good faith" efforts to this end).
This is clearly an unambiguously, common sense desirable situation for the world to be in. I don't want to see Israel or anywhere else threatening to use or being threatened by the use of nuclear weapons. Vanunu is not only an exemplary citizen of the world he is a loyal and patriotic Israeli; since Israel's interests, like those of all nations whatever they may think realpolitik dictates, lie not in war but in peace.
Mr. Fitzpatrick, I have been following your activities in Parliament and you are to be commended for your work on council housing and housing benefit (of particular interest to most of my fellow constituents) and also on TN (I was sorry to read of your condition) and the Ian Tomlinson debacle.
I hope you will also be able to assist with this matter. In an ideal world the FCO would grant him asylum and a passport, although I understand there are often legal issues with granting asylum to claimants outside the UK. There is good reason to believe that, were the travel restrictions on Vanunu lifted, a number of countries would grant him asylum on arrival.
Fraternal regards