Posted on 04/15/2006 4:31:49 PM PDT by Sabramerican
Report: US to release Pollard in Barghouti swap deal JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Apr. 16, 2006
Officials in Jerusalem claimed on Saturday that the US would free imprisoned Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard in exchange for Israel releasing jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti.
According to Army Radio, Israel is set to offer the proposed prisoner swap deal in the next few months, following the unfolding anarchy in the Palestinian Authority. Seemingly, Israel intends to use Barghouti's release to strengthen the Fatah movement against the background of the much criticized rule of the new Hamas-led Palestinian government.
In 2004 Israel suggested a similar move but the initiative was rejected by the US government. Jerusalem officials predict that on this occasion the White House will accept the proposal.
Pollard, a former Mossad agent, was convicted of selling US military secrets to Israel, while he worked at the Defense Department's Pentagon headquarters. He was arrested in 1985 and pleaded guilty to the espionage charges. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, and has been incarcerated in a US jail for the past 21 years.
The Israeli government denied for years that Pollard was its spy but finally acknowledged it in 1998.
Various prime ministers have since made efforts to secure a pardon for Pollard, none of which have been successful.
Would you also be in favor of the death penalty for OUR spies who are caught? Here's a news flash for you: Everybody spies on one another. It's a game. In the spy game, you jail them until such time as a good trade comes up (not that this particular trade, if true, qualifies).
Traitors should be summarily executed in every case, with hout exception. I would also add terrorists to this list.
Yes, I would have preferred Hanson put to death.
Pollard was an American citizen spying for a foreign nation...he's a traitor.
you will never get the truth about this case.
Why would we want Marwan? (if we cant properly interrogate him).
There are exceptions to every rule...What would the Iranians or Palestinians do if they caught an American Spy on their soil?
Or shot, or perhaps both.How many Americans did he help kill?
Why the heck would we want Barf-Gouli free? Dead perhaps, but free?!
Makes no sense at all...
Agreed. US citizens who spy for foreign powers are traitors who should be summarily executed,
Agreed.
Israel already decided in the last elections that pensions are more important than foreign policy.
Why would Bush want Israel to release a multi murderer terrorist? I thought he was leading a war against terror.
Pollard was not convicted of treason.
Passing on national secrets is treason, no matter what the plea bargain.
John Walker Lyn (sp?) who did take up arms against the USA for an enemy in a time of war got a sentence less than the time Pollard has already served.
Barghouti is the enemy of Hamas.
Thanks, Tom. I figured we were on the same page.
No it is not. Treason is an offense committed on behalf of an enemy during war. Israel is not an enemy and we were not at war at the time.
John Walker Lynd was not employed by the US government in a sensitive position handling national secrets. He was a goofy teenager fighting for a goofy cause. If we can't differential the two, we might as well give up.
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