Posted on 02/08/2014 11:23:21 PM PST by IsraelBeach
CIA Director: Jonathan Pollard Is In Prison Because He's Jewish
By Karen Levy
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem — February 9, 2014 ... There have been many senior US officials who have called for Israeli Jonathan Pollard to be released, but none ever came from this highest of security institutions. Former CIA Director James Woolsey has reiterated his call for the immediate release of Jonathan Pollard, now in his 29th year behind American bars over charges of spying for Israel.
Speaking to the Israel News Agency, Woolsey stated: "It's enough. After a quarter century the time has come to free Pollard. That doesn't mean that what he did wasn't serious, I've seen the materials in 1993 and what he disclosed was very confidential content. But I tell people 'imagine he's a Greek American and free him."
Jonathan Pollard was a civilian American Naval intelligence analyst when he gave thousands of classified documents to his Israeli handlers. In the mid 1980's, Pollard discovered that information vital to Israel's security was being deliberately withheld by certain elements within the US national security establishment.
Israel was legally entitled to this vital security information according to a 1983 Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.
Pollard was arrested in 1985 and later sentenced to life in prison.
In 2012, Woolsey wrote a highly critical letter to the Wall Street Journal, in which he illustrated examples of various spies released after 10 years, calling on the US to "pretend Pollard isn't Jewish and release him." He noted that "one especially damaging Greek-American spy, Steven Lalas, received a 14-year sentence."
The argument that Pollard's ongoing imprisonment is a result of US anti-Semitism was made by Tablet magazine and by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in January.
Israel Construction and Building Minister Uri Ariel responded to Woolsey's comments, calling them a "stinging indictment" of the American government, which has "left Pollard to rot in jail from anti-Semitism and nothing else. I call on US Secretary of State John Kerry and US President Barack Obama to prove that isn't true, to act humanely and free Pollard immediately."
Israeli MK Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) similarly responded to Woolsey's comments, saying "the US itself can't logically explain not releasing Pollard from jail after 29 years. True friendship is expressed by little kindnesses and mutual understanding. If Israel is asked and able to make such large concessions for its enemies, how much more so should it be expected between friends."
"If the US is indeed our greatest friend, it needs to free Jonathan Pollard immediately," added Shaked.
Woolsey, who was head of the CIA under President Bill Clinton's administration, stressed that the US doesn't need to spy on Israel.
"America has understandings with the Canadians, Australians, and the British not to spy on each other. We also have an excellent relationship with Germany and Israel, and I think we don't need to spy on them," noted the former CIA chief.
The headquarters for Pollard's release responded to the statements as well, saying "we very much hope that (Obama) will decide to put an end to the tragedy and the saga and to free Jonathan."
Woolsey's said Saturday that Americans who spied for other countries including Korea and Greece were freed after short sentences, while Jonathan Pollard is still behind bars after 25 years.
"I certainly don't think that it is universally true, but in the case of some American individuals, I think there is anti-Semitism at work here," Woolsey said.
He said others who did the same as Pollard were freed quickly.
A declassified damage assessment reveals that Pollard was seeking information for nuclear, military and technical information on the Arab states, Pakistan, and the Soviet Union, and not on the United States.
The damage assessment, which was classified by the CIA reveals that Pollard’s handlers “never expressed interest in US military activities, plans, capabilities, or equipment.”
I don't understand.
Oh. it's all political??
Oh, now I understand.
The US withholds classified information from many of its allies. Our government withholds information from its own citizens as well. It’s necessary to keep some things confidential, secret, or top secret. It’s not because we don’t consider our allies trustworthy, or our own citizens. It’s because that’s how you keep a secret. Ya don’t tell everyone.
Pollard is in prison because they don’t execute spies anymore. That’s why he’s alive and in prison.
It is not ok, and Pollard should and have been jailed for it.
But it is also not okay to punish someone so much more than people who’d made similar crimes because he is Jewish.
The irony is that Pollard’s call to be released is solely on his being Jewish!
The bigger irony is that he wasn’t really much of anything at all until he was sent to prison. Then he “found Yahweh” and applied for Israeli citizenship. LOL.
He deserves to rot right where he is.
Under this current Muslim loving Regime? Keep dreaming.
The Mossad wing on FR keeps running this old chestnut out!
As best I remember, neither Ziva David nor her father Eli nor her Brother ever mentioned Pollard
Pollard is in jail because he is a D I C K....and a traitor...
What is this? Some precedent to release him and get a quid pro quo prisoner in return?
Pollard's theft caused the expenditures of hundred of thousands of technical man hours by the US to “compensate” for the losses ( and millions of dollars also). A valuable US resource was compromised.
The un Christian view is that he should rot in jail until the second coming.
Pollard's theft caused the expenditures of hundred of thousands of technical man hours by the US to “compensate” for the losses ( and millions of dollars also). A valuable US resource was compromised.
The un Christian view is that he should rot in jail until the second coming.
Is that you Jethro?
” stressed that the US doesn’t need to spy on Israel. “
LOL. What a putz.
I’m a big supporter of Israel.
But Israel is one of our greatest intelligence threats. They not only put lots of effort spying on us, but they are very good at it.
We not only need to spy on Israel, it is an imperative.
Here’s one example: in the 1973 war, when Israel was nearly overrun by their neighbors - our spying and surveillance of Israel quite likely resulted in their belligerent neighbors NOT being nuked.
I don’t blame Israel for wanting Pollard released - but to pretend it’s for anything but their own intelligence reasons (abandoning a spy that’s been caught has a depressing effect on recruitment) is ludicrous.
It’s disingenuous to say it’s because he’s Jewish, and they know it. But it’s all they have because he was busted hard, and his impact was quantifiable in lives lost. So they try to engender racial guilt, which is their best shot at getting him released. I hope it doesn’t work.
Ok Woolsey, are you getting paid to have this opinion? Full disclosure would first and foremost be in order before you declare your country - the BEST country in the world to be a Jew, and practice Judaism (even better than Israel) - to be antisemitic, prove you aren’t conflicted. Given the veracity of our intelligence apparatus, I won’t believe him anyway, but still, he should at least have to courtesy to lie to us about being objective before asking us to release a notorious spy like Pollard.
5.56mm
So the length of Pollard's sentence is based in part on anger in US intelligence circles over what Israel did with the information. That tends to confirm the assertion in the headline, rather than contradict it.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
I guess getting out of prison isn't as important to him as getting out of the country.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.