PM's Brother-in-Law: Bibi, Bring Back Pollard!

[Irish Zionist]

 
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137767
Prof. Hagi Ben-Artzi has written a letter to his brother-in-law, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in which he tells him that his upcoming trip to Washington is a golden opportunity to bring back Jonathan Pollard, convicted of spying for Israel and languishing in an American jail.
President Barack Obama has invited Netanyahu to Washington this week, apparently partially to make up for the humiliation he dealt Netanyahu on this previous visit two months ago. Netanyahu’s wife Sarah’s brother, Prof. Ben-Artzi, has written an emotional plea to the prime minister, asking him not to forget Pollard.
Ben-Artzi did not neglect to mention Netanyahu’s past efforts for Pollard: “You merited that during your previous term as Prime Minister, Jonathan Pollard was officially recognized by the Government of Israel as an Israeli agent who contributed much to Israeli security. Following this decision, you acted energetically to achieve his release – and in the framework of the Wye Agreement of 1998, then-President Bill Clinton promised to free Pollard. However, at the last minute, Clinton reneged, and you returned empty-handed. “
“This is a good opportunity to remind the American president that if he wants us to trust American promises, he must honor a presidential promise that was personally made to you.”

Ben-Artzi asked Netanyahu to “remind President Obama that if he is sincere in saying that Israel is a friend and ally of the United States, he must prove this with actions. Jonathan Pollard gave Israel information that was vital to its existence and security, after he saw that the U.S. was violating its commitment towards Israel and was not giving it this critical information.”

“Even agents that spied for enemy countries did not sit in jail for so long (nearly 25 years), in such difficult conditions (most of the time in solitary confinement and the dungeon), and in such bad health (his life is truly endangered).”

Noting that Netanyahu had promised after his failure with Clinton not to give up and to “find the way to bring Pollard back home,” Ben-Artzi wrote, “This is your chance to pay your debt! You must do it now, because tomorrow it might be too late, because of Pollard’s health. Our Sages teach that one who begins a good deed, is told to complete it. You were privileged to begin this good deed, and may it be G-d’s will that you will be able to complete it.”

Prominent figures have made the letter a lynchpin of their latest pro-Pollard campaign, and are trying to maximize its effect in order to pressure Netanyahu on this matter.

Pollard has spent nearly a quarter-century in U.S. prison, after being convicted of one count of passing classified information to Israel. As is well-known, the general sentence for a crime of this nature is 2-4 years. However, sentencing judge Audrey Robinson, who has since passed away, told the late U.S. Supreme Court justice Arthur Goldberg that he had been particularly outraged by the fact that Pollard had given Israel satellite photographs proving that Israel had provided South Africa with missile and nuclear technology. In fact, however, not only did Pollard deny ever giving any such information, but no information about South Africa was every included in any of the classified materials or submissions that had been made available to the Pollard defense team.

“It therefore appeared likely,” the Pollard website concludes, “that the [U.S.] government had not only given Judge Robinson inaccurate information about Mr. Pollard's activities, but that it had done so in an ex parte fashion [without the defense team present –ed.].”