PM vows to raise Pollard case during Obama visit - JPost

(Republished from March, 2013)

“The time has long since come for Jonathan to go free,” Netanyahu said at the outset of the meeting. “This issue will come up during President Obama’s visit. It has already been raised countless times by myself and others, and the time has come for him to go free,” he said. Esther Pollard echoed Netanyahu’s words, saying “Jonathan can’t anymore. This is a golden opportunity now that the president of the United States is coming. If not now, when?” Pollard’s wife was joined in her meeting with Netanyahu by Lawrence Korb, who was US deputy secretary of defense during the Reagan administration in 1985 when Pollard was arrested, and is currently a senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress think tank, which is considered close to the Obama administration. Also attending was Effie Lahav, who heads the Committee to Free Jonathan Pollard."  JPost

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OK.  How about this deal?

1-  The US frees Pollard and in the announcement reiterates the simple fact that he is a traitor to the United States who spied for Israel.

2 -At the same time Israel publicly admits that it betrayed its friendship with the United States in the Pollard affair.

3- POTUS orders the Secretary of the Navy to convene a full scale investigation with regard to the attack on the USS Liberty by the IDF in 1967.  The previous naval investigation of the incident conducted by Admiral Kidd in 1967 was a farce and completely inadequate.  Jim Webb should be asked to conduct the investigation.  pl 

http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/what-about-the-defamation-of-pollard/2013/03/18/?src=ataglance

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=305271

Comments

[Kyle]

I say we take the tip from Nancy Reagan and "Just Say No."

[Rd.]

OK. How about this deal?

1-

2 -

3-

pl

should also include;

4 - Free Mordechai Vanunu alive to leave izi.

[Charles 1]

I'm a big supporter of the Palestinians, mostly for reasons to do with sibling birth order I'm sure.

But if your country did this one could reasonably conclude that its over-riding aim is to manifest as a pussy-whipped(sorry ladies) pusillanimous practitioner of quivering suckupism to a punk colonial power.

Never mind Pollard, recognize Palestine, ship over a few planes and billions, bns, that'd grease a few skids.

Just kidding.

[georgeg]

Sorry, but I could not stomach Oren. Unfortunately the media demographics subscribing to Colbert can't distinguish fact from fiction.....

[Andrew]

At this stage it would be interesting to find out how many Pollards there are in circulation and how deeply they are embedded in USG. Who is feeding them classified hootch, and on which committees they are sitting or chairing.

More terrifying is what might be getting transferred to who at this moment in exchange of what?

[confusedponderer]

Probably it is this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJLt60Fu4pY

[shanks]

I know you're a bit angry about this but aren't you too old to ask for ponies? :)

I kid, I kid.

[turcopolier]

shanks

If you take a soft line you might get half of that. pl

[Matthew]

Col: It seems that the Palestinians have had enough of the phony talks. Does that make all this Pollard talk moot?

[Jackie]

For some reason, we the people, just never want to give up Pollard. I know I don't, no matter how many times this trial balloon is floated.

[Old Gun Pilot]

Unfortunately none of this may matter. Pollard received his life sentence prior to enactment of the sentencing reform act of 1987. Under that new law parole is abolished. Pollard however is subject to the old law. The sentence of life that Pollard received has parole eligibility after 30 years. Assuming he had a period of custody prior to his plea he will be eligible for parole shortly.

[Stephanie]

At the very least the Israelis should cough up everything Pollard gave them and detail where it went. Rumor has it that they dealt with the Soviet Union, for example – what did the Evil Empire get?

This is plainly just a trial balloon, and given the reaction of the major press organs it’s unlikely to become more than that, but it’s astonishing that this particular balloon is being loosed so early in the current “peace process.” What on earth are they thinking?

[Anna-Marina]

A chance to remind of the tragic fate of the servicemen on the USS Liberty and the treasonous, ungrateful, manipulative attitude of Israel and Israel-firsters to the US citizens - a fat one.

[Anna-Marina]

There should be a story about the victims of Pollard's betrayal.

[Charles 1]

much as I am against capital punishment, one might idlywonder, is Pollard such a threatÉ

[Charles 1]

Well the reason surely is when you trade an
Abel, you are supposed to get a Powers, not platitudes adn foreign future considerations.

[JerseyJeffersonian]

All,

A bit off-thread, perhaps, but not very much so should one be interested in seeing an alteration in the dynamic between Israel and the US.

I have noted several posters seemingly of the opinion that Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky might be a change agent in this regard. But before putting down too much weight on that foot, you might wish to read and reflect upon this:

http://spectator.org/blog/22498/rand-paul-and-israel

Well, one might say, this was a position articulated in the heat of a campaign, and things get said in that context that often later fall by the wayside. Frankly, I don't see this as anything other than obeisance, and heartfelt obeisance at that, to the interests of the Lobby. Consider this, too; in our current political system, with campaigning being a perennial state, particularly in the Senate where a) monetary requirements are enormous for electioneering, and b) where treaties (or in the case of Israel, sub rosa understandings functionally equivalent to treaties) are validated, this position is likely one that is considered and final.

It would be a cardinal mistake to confuse the views of Rand Paul with those of his father, Ron Paul, merely because occasional flickers of libertarianism appear in Rand Paul's words.

[Ryan]

Colonel,

All your suggestions are good. I like this one the best:

"Jim Webb should be asked to conduct the investigation."

I recall that Webb wanted Pollard executed and this was one of the reasons he resigned.