Speaking to Channel 2 Israel News on Tuesday evening 8 Nissan 5773, Barbara Opall-Rome, Israel Bureau Chief for Defense News questioned the wisdom of raising the issue of Jonathan Pollard’s release at this critical time. Opall-Rome said “Pollard is a criminal; he is not in captivity like Gilad Shalit. He was convicted of a serious crime, spying, and is serving his sentence.”
She stressed the timing of pressing US President Barak Obama on the Pollard release is poor, and it is unwise to place additional strain on Israel’s relationship with the White House over Pollard.
In an opinion article authorized by her for Haaretz, she adds, “Pollard was not sentenced for unauthorized transfer of classified information to Israel, but for espionage, pure and simple. US law does not distinguish idealistic from nefarious motivations, nor does it matter whether classified documents were stolen on behalf of friend or foe.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
This is a pure dark and cruel politics. I’m shocked to hear this from an Israeli army official. This is an outright harsh lie. Many American current and former officials claim the complete opposite.There is a worldwide consensus that no matter what he did, he served much much more than he deserves. Did some Israeli personality pushed her to do so? You bet
There is probably some reason nobody knows about that Pollard is not being released. The President to release him would be widely hailed as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had”, would score innumerable political points in the Israeli arena, and incredibly strengthen US influence over Israel.
Take George Bush. I mean, come on, President Bush didn’t release Pollard? There’s got to be some reason the US politicians simply can’t release Pollard, if not from arousing skinhead animosity to some military secret only he knows (I know this sounds like a novel, but bear with me), or perhaps it would seem like a weakness on the part of the United States, in my opinion it is highly likely that the President cannot, and simply cannot release Pollard.
Baloney #2
Pollard did nothing more that give Israel info that USA should have given them. The continued incarceration is to show the Jews that you are, will remain and will always be ‘court Jews’ in the eyes of the State Department (anti-Semitic) of USA.
I have a guts feeling that his release depends mostly on the Israeli part of this dirty game. The Americans are just collaborating with the wish of some VIP or VIPs to uncover his or their gloomy part of this sad saga. Just a feeling. Can’t prove it
He really did some serious espionage. If Israel wasn’t a friendly nation he would have been executed.
It wasn’t altruistic he did it for money to marry his non Jewish girlfriend. It’s so sad that the community never bothered looking into the facts about what he did.
Aaspring, which part of what she said was a lie? All she said was that Pollard did break the law. She said nothing about whether or not Pollard deserves such a severe sentence.
I mean – The Americans are just collaborating with the wish of some VIP or VIPs to COVER his or their gloomy part of this sad saga.
Just like the Russians could not release wallenberg
#2- Highly likely that you are correct on this issue. Could very well be that some Israeli officials do not want to see him released, lest he reveal some sensitive information….