Israeli agent, Jonathan Pollard, who is completing his 23rd year of a life sentence in the United States for his service to Israel, on Monday, filed a lawsuit in Tel-Aviv District Court seeking Declaratory Relief.
Pollard‘s lawsuit aims to set the record, once and for all, that he and his wife, Esther, have never received any money whatsoever from the State of Israel, from the day of his arrest to the present.
In his lawsuit Pollard states from the outset, that neither he nor his wife are interested in receiving money from the State – that his sole purpose in bring suit against the Government of Israel is to put an end to the lies it disseminates, lies which have been severely undermining the public struggle for his release.
In an unprecedented move Pollard turns to the Tel Aviv District Court today in order to refute the state’s allegations, according to which, Jonathan and his wife Esther have been getting money from Israel for years. Pollard demonstrates in his lawsuit that the Government is lying to the media, to the public and the to the Courts when it states, repeatedly and in every public venue imaginable, that it supports him and his wife, that it makes resources available to them and that it provides them with funds. Pollard states unequivocally and offers proof that neither he nor his wife has ever received a cent from the Government of Israel.
Pollard’s lawsuit demonstrates that the false statements and claims of the State about the issue of money are intended to obscure from public scrutiny the fact that the State has not made the most minimal effort to secure his release from prison; and that they are also intended to blacken his reputation and that of his wife, Esther Pollard, in the eyes of the public, by portraying them as people whose sole motivation is a desire to elicit monetary support from the State– which is patently false. In defaming him this way, Pollard states, the State of Israel is effectively preventing him from galvanizing public support to help secure his release from prison.
Pollard is represented by attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of “Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center”, and attorney Roy Kohavi.
According to the lawsuit, Pollard has done everything he possibly could to get the State of Israel to stop lying, by claiming that it helps him financially or in any other way. He has turned to the Supreme Court, which refused to help on the grounds that the issue is political. He has turned to the State Comptroller, who told his attorney that he is not empowered to investigate this issue, that his mandate from the Knesset limits him only to expressing an opinion, not to investigating. Again in order to try to stop the lies, Pollard (via his attorney) turned to the State and asked for a detailed accounting of the funds they claim they are providing to him and his wife. The requests for information made to the Prime Minister’s office were declined based on bizarre excuses such as “the individual’s right to privacy”, “sensitivity issues”, and “for fear it will harm Pollard’s own good and Israel’s efforts to assist him”.
The lawsuit maintains that Pollard and his wife, Esther, have been abandoned by the State. It points out that they live in grave distress, both financially and in general. All of their expenses are funded by what little money Pollard’s wife, Esther, has, and with the support of a few close friends.
The lawsuit reveals, for the first time, a letter from then-Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to MK Rechavam Ze’evi, which states unequivocally that the State of Israel does NOT give any money to Pollard and does not have a bank account for him.
According to Pollard’s attorney, attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, “the State is throwing sand in the public’s eyes and is shamelessly lying to the court when it claims it financially supports Pollard and his wife. The state cannot go on deceiving the public by making it believe that it does anything for Pollard. Not only did the State abandon Pollard for 23 years, it also has the audacity to lie about it. If the State ever gave one shekel to Pollard or his wife – let it prove it! We know the truth, and it will come to light in the courtroom.”
According to Esther Pollard, “This week, it is Jonathan’s 54th birthday. Had the State of Israel made the slightest effort, Jonathan would be here, celebrating his birthday at home in Jerusalem. Instead, he is ‘celebrating’ by being forced to sue the State of Israel to try to stop the campaign of lies it is waging against him.”
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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8 Responses
This evil government is built only on lies! Olmert being the top liar in this world! Even more than the arab sheiks!
This dictatorship lies about everyhting it does. Not a true word has emanated from the halls of this knesset in years. And if some of it is true, it is still loaded with falsehoods!
As we see from the Meraglim – “All lies must have some truth within them – or the lies could not stand!”
Dictatorships, 120 MKs, the leaders in Israel, the courts, the governemnt agencies, are ALL a bunch of LYING thieves!
It is quite amazing how no attention is paid to Mr. Pollard, may Hashem grant him freedom, in Israel.
This just proves how all of the states protestations of ‘tzidkus’ regarding the bodies of dead soldeirs is a bunch of malarchy.
The state is run by the Erev Rav/Amolek and therefor cares nothing for it’s Jews as shown time and time again.
It is amazing however how the yetzer hora to leave golus forcibly has completely blinded the average citizen to the faults of the state and people still look at it as something to be honored.
I did not and will not send my kids to the army, but I cannot comprehend how a parent whose children will be going can tolerate an army that repeatedly throws the lives of it’s soldiers in the garbage. For nothing. And there is not a peep of protest.
The latest ‘zva’ah’ was when Jewish soldiers risked their lives to save arabs being fired upon by other arabs.
It makes one’s blood boil.
Why won’t Bush release Jonathan Pollard?! The penalty he is paying IF someone were guilty of such charges, is excessive and unprecedented. Has there ever been an investigation as to why such an unusual due process, or lack of due process?
regardless of how you feel about this situation, lets call a spade a spade “completing his 23rd year of a life sentence in the United States for his service to Israel”
Service to israel? lets call it spying for Israel on America. We all agree he is a spy and a traitor, we can argue whether his punishment was just or not, but lets not mar the facts.
#4: He was NOT spying on America. He gave intelligence, procured by American assets, to Israel. There is even reason to believe that this information was supposed to be shared with Israel per a pre-existing understanding between the respective intelligence communities. The information was primarily about goings-on in the Mideast.
#4: Pollard did NOT spy on America. He gave Israel intelligence acquired by America assets relating to Syrian and Iraqi poison gas production and nuclear capabilities being developed for use against Israel, as well as planned terrorist attacks against Israeli civilian targets.
This information was being withheld by America despite a Convention of Reciprocity which entitled Israel to receive it.
When Pollard discovered this suppression of information and asked his superiors about it, he was told to “mind his own business”, and that “Jews get nervous talking about poison gas; they don’t need to know.”
When his efforts to legally restore the flow of information failed, he began to give the information to Israel directly, because he felt Israeli lives were being put in jeopardy. Pollard wrote, “I’d rather be rotting in prison than sitting “shiva” for the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who could have died because of my cowardice.”
Pollard was charged only with one count of passing classified information to an ally. He was never charged with treason. He was never indicted for harming the United States.
The FBI concluded after nine months of polygraphing that Pollard acted for ideological reasons only, not for profit. This fact was recognized by the sentencing judge.
He never had a trial. Instead, at the request of the U.S. Government, he entered into a plea agreement. Probably sparing America from enduring a long, difficult, expensive and potentially embarrassing trial. He also fully cooperated with the prosecution.
The only real betrayal was done by America after he kept his end of the plea agreement. The American government violated its end of the plea agreement by passing down a life sentence without parole. His appeal was rejected on a technicality. It had not been filed on time.
He has repeatedly expressed his remorse publicly and in private letters to the President and others. He regrets having broken the law, and is sorry he did not find a legal means to act upon his concerns for Israel.
So let’s call a spade a spade.
While Pollard worked and “fought” for Israel’s continued existence Pollard was initially abandoned by Israel. Senator John McCain told the Conference of Presidents that he thought Jonathan Pollard should never be released because “he betrayed our nation..”
the problem is that the minute pollard is released (bim’hera) he is on a plane to israel, and will become THE MOST POPULAR MASN in israel, and will dictate to the knesset what to do!
THEY dont want that, so THEY have to shut him up!