The Soviets were building nuclear bombs that targeted millions of our citizens and threatened our very existence. The Israelis were trying to prevent terrorism and Islamic strikes that threatened their very existence. The moral equivalency eludes me.
I agree that US agents (ie. spies whom the Soviets executed as spies) were killed. If Pollard delivered the documents to the Soviets or knew they would be delivered to the Soviets he should be treated just like Ames and Hanssen. Otherwise he should be treated like spies who deliver documents to friendly countries, albeit the magnitude and quality of the information should be considered.
I think there is an emotional component to his case because he is a Jew who spied for Israel. Were there American citizens who spied for Britain during the Cold War ? Do you think there are American agents who spy on Israel ?
I agree that US agents (ie. spies whom the Soviets executed as spies) were killed. If Pollard delivered the documents to the Soviets or knew they would be delivered to the Soviets he should be treated just like Ames and Hanssen. Otherwise he should be treated like spies who deliver documents to friendly countries, albeit the magnitude and quality of the information should be considered.Anyone who engages in espionage is saying, in essence, that they don't give an airborne fornication who sees the classified material they are entrusted with. To say otherwise is to say that the spy is ignorant of the possibilities of:
- False-flag recruitments--where his handler claims loyalty to Country A while actually working for Country B
- The possibility of someone in the receiving agency (example: Mossad) working for somebody else (example: KGB).
- The possibility of the spy's "take" being bartered or given to another country.