According to Israel’s Army Radio there is a new initiative to secure the release of Jonathan Pollard in return to the extension of the settlement freeze.
Political source at the PMO said the initiative based upon the belief that many right wing ministers opposing the settlement freeze would find the release a remedy, though painful, to the settlement freeze extension.
According to the Army Radio, the Israeli source submitted the request to the US administration. The American response was not available.
Dani Dayan, head of Yesha Council was quoted as saying: “This is an ugly blackmail. No one wants Pollard’s release more then we do, but we understand that accepting such a deal can harm Israel’s vital interests”
A source at the Prime Minister office told Fox News on condition of aninimity, they will not comment on the issue.
Jonathan Pollard was convicted in 1987 for espionage and is serving a life sentence in the US. Previous attempts to release him faced objection both by US presidents and head of CIA.
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(Source: Fox News)
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11 Responses
Who knows when or if such an opportunity to free him will come again, and it could well be that if it’s not taken up now, the US will find other ways to put intolerable pressure on the Israeli government (which is after all totally dependent upon US military and political support) to stop settlement, leaving him in jail for who knows how long. Daven for Hashem to resolve this in the best possible fashion.
You simply have to take this offer if hes Israel. The talks will fall apart a month later anyways over something else. The chance of anything happening here is less then zero. If Im israel – I take the offer –
Getting Pollard back in exchange for an additional 3 month settlement freeze sound like a no-brainer. We can build just as well in January as in September.
Do you have to be a special source not to comment?
disagree the root of the matter is pollard for the cause of a palestinian state in judea samaria and the answer is no under all circumstances what narrowmindedness i see
its like get out of gaza for this or that your packaging the land away
NILI
This would actually be a very good deal if we were in fact at war with the Americans and not the Arabs. Then again, maybe we are and are finally acknowledging the reality. To be fair, I would not say that we are at war with the American people but it would seem that the US Government (especially the State Department) relates to us as some sort of an adversary. The American people have always been friendly to Israel and many have realized that the future of America is linked to its relationship with us. I suppose viewing the US Government as at war with us is not so radical in light of the fact that a very large number of Americans see their Government as at war with them.
All this to the side, what exactly is the logic here? What is the great benefit that will occur to the United States of America by freezing Jewish construction? Will it increase the US’s military security? Are the homes to be built some how a threat to the folks in Iowa? Will it lower the US national debt? I could go on in all sorts of other categories but it would be the same. After all we just went through ten months of this and exactly how did America or even the Arabs benefit from the freeze? In fact no one benefited at all. The whole point was to harm the Jews of Israel. To humiliate us and cause us distress. There was absolutely no positive gain for anyone from the freeze and there was never any intention that there should be. Its intent is only to harm and humiliate.
So just what is Bibi, the betrayer of Hevron, the putz of Wye and groveler of O’Bama considering? Pollard for more humiliation? The irony is that if this were to actually happen, the most prominent person to denounce this deal would probably be Jonathan Pollard.
Aryeh Zelasko
Beit Shemesh
As an Israeli I say this is a terrible idea. Bibi should say to Obama, you want talks, release Pollard first. Pollard MUST be released and building MUST start.
Bibi mustn’t agree to give up 1 blade of grass. Every inch of Erez Yisroel is Holy.
Pals. have a homeland. It is called Jordan.
The PA did nothing until the end of a long freeze, opting to then demand an extension. Considering that it can be logically argued that any agreement is moot if the PA cannot control the leadership in Gaza, if they want to prove that they can, how about their showing some “good faith,” and using their influence in the Arab world – Pollard AND Gilad out, and hard information and Red Cross visits (which were always required but not done) for all other MIAs, in exchange for a three-month extension?
It ain’t gonna happen. No president wants to be the one that released Pollard. If the blackmail does work, Israel will pay dearly for such behavior.
Bibi’s been there, done that. Remember the Wye accords? Clinton promised him to release Pollard then, and reneged at the last moment.
From what I remember of the Wye accords, Bibi brought up the Pollard issue and Clinton was really ticked off at him for bringing it up at the last second.