Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to accede to Jonathan Pollard’s personal request and will, in the coming days, officially and publicly appeal to US President Barack Obama regarding Pollard’s release.
The decision to accede to the request, which Prime Minister Netanyahu received in writing, in a letter brought by Esther Pollard, was made following a series of talks and contacts which the Prime Minister and his representatives have held on the issue in recent months with senior US administration officials.
In a statment by the PM’s Office is stated “It will be recalled that Prime Minister Netanyahu – during his previous term in office – recognized Jonathan Pollard as an Israeli agent. Later, he personally visited with him in prison. He has raised the issue with US Presidents during both of his terms as Prime Minister.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu said that, “I intend to continue acting with determination for Pollard’s release, both because of the State of Israel’s moral obligation to him and so that he might live with his family and restore himself to health after his prolonged incarceration.”
(YWN Israel Desk)
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7 Responses
It’s about time!!!
Why doesn’t Pollard ask for parole?
bracha l’vatala.
EVERYBODY!!PLS SAY AMEN TO THIS BERACHA- Riono shel olam!You are known as an Av Harachamim(Father of Mercy) PLEASE put now in President Obama’s mind to immediately release Your precious Jewish neshama ,Jonathan Pollard out of prison and that he should to go back to his longtime family!
Cherrybim, why a bracha levatala? Lev melachim vesarim beyad Hashem. Whatever this-wordly hishtadlus that can be done was already done (#2 – no parole for life sentence!!). But we have plenty of room for spiritual efforts. How about each of us saying a few perakim of Tehillim for Yehonasan ben Malka, taking a personal kabbala in whatever area we need to improve and dedicate the zechus to Yehonasan ben Malka, or do a Machson Lefi (dividing up hours of the day among a group of people during which each is especially careful during that time to use only positive speech with no hint of lashon hara and the like). Especially during these crucial days of the year when presidents are known to pardon and extra efforts are being made on his behalf, now is the time to do our utmost before it is today. Chizuk in his merit is NOT a bracha levatala. Let us not have to wonder if we can honestly say “Yadeinu lo shofchu es hadam hazeh.” After reading this, don’t go on to anything else without, at the very least, saying one perek of Tehillim on his behalf.
One more comment I’d like to add: so many of us felt for Martin Grossman and send letters, emails, faxes, placed phone calls trying to save him life. This man sits in prison for 25 years not because he took a life, but because he passed on vital information that was wrongfully being withheld in order to save the lives of ha’am hayosheiv b’tzion. Isn’t it our responsibility to make efforts on his behalf no less than we did for Mr. Grossman? His health is precarious. We can’t influence Mr. Obama (and we should not bombard him with emails or calls unless sometime like Attorney Nat Lewin or Rabbi Pesach Lerner ask us to. Only those who are intimately involved and know what might help and what might harm can call for such efforts to be made. But in the realm of ruchnius, every single one of us is obligated to put the effort with the energy (and more!) that we put forth for Mr. Grossman. He is no less of a “nefesh achas b’Yisrael.” Have rachmanus on him and Hashem can open the gates of Rachamim in answer to our caring for a fellow Jew and our demonstration of achdus!
bracha l’vatala.