That, with a straight face, a country like Israel can lobby so hard for Johnny Pollard's release from U.S. prison, but argues so staunchly for maintaining Mordechai Vanunu's suffocating detention, is really a good example of the diametrics one finds in politics.

safe to assume that "what you know" is not what "is the case"  -  no offense intended.  do you really think his liquidation was the result of a petty disagreement of some kind?  by radioactive isotope, no less?  seriously now.  let's have a real discussion, not play games.  

Let's not forget that he had ample time to say whatever information he had before he was eventually killed.

 

As to if he "deserved to die", that may have been a legitimate question when we were deciding as to whether we would "take him in", or not.  However once his foot was in the door he was our responsibility.

 

We should have been far harder on Russia in response.  I would have loved to see MI6 snatch the culprit, rather than our ask for Russia to give him to us, to face the obvious refusal and denial.

 

I consider how understanding the Communists were about "petty disagreements", how many ex-communists are still walking the halls of power in Moscow, and that the Russian government not long ago passed a law permitting the arbitrary execution of its nationals abroad for, and I forget the exact wording, making defamatory comments about the Russian state. I really would believe that his murder was linked to these "petty disagreements" and that the use of radioactive materials was to make it obvious who had commissioned the murder.

Other than these "petty disagreements", what was the cause?

Where was the outcry when Vanunu was drugged and smuggled back into Israel by Mossad from a foreign country?

Maybe it isn't that way round in Russia.

Still, Vanunu was technically an Israeli at the time of his arrest/kidnap, while I understand that Litvinenko had acquired British Nationality.