'Pollard for a freeze extension' gathers steam
The idea of extending the 'settlement freeze' for another three months in exchange for the release of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard seems to be gathering steam. The Prime Minister's Office is reportedly checking an idea with the U.S. government whereby Jonathan Pollard would be released from prison in exchange for another three month freeze on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria.And the reports this morning are looking more specific.
The Prime Minister's Office claims that the Prime Minister has not changed his mind regarding ending the freeze on schedule.
According to the deal being talked about in Jerusalem, the freeze would be extended for three months, while Pollard would be freed just a few weeks shy of his 25th anniversary in prison.There's a huge difference between Pollard being released in exchange for an arch-terrorist and Pollard being released in exchange for Israel extending a government policy that has been in effect for ten months for another three months. If Pollard were to be released in exchange for Barghouti - God forbid - he might justifiably have on his conscience any future Barghouti victims. I don't see why he should feel guilty by the 'settlement freeze' being extended for three months in order to free him.
The idea was not initiated in Washington, but rather by staffers in Netanyahu’s office. Army Radio reported Monday morning that Netanyahu asked an unnamed person who specializes in the Middle East conflict to find out if the Obama Administration would be interested in the idea. The person in fact made queries, but it is not known what, if any, response he received.
The Prime Minister’s Bureau has denied the report, issuing this statement: “We know of no query to the Americans on this matter. The Prime Minister has not changed his mind, and the freeze will end on Sept. 26.”
Pollard’s wife Esther has not commented on the report. It is known that the Pollards objected to the Pollard-Barghouti exchange that was floated several years ago, though the deal could be carried out without their consent.
Danny Dayan, head of the Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria, said, “The very idea is an ugly form of blackmail. Should we also agree to give up the Golan Heights in exchange for Gilad Shalit?”No, there's huge difference between giving up territory and freezing construction for a limited period.
Army Radio adds (via IMRA):
This idea has been rolling around in recent days, and even reached the office of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Government elements believe that most of the right wing ministers would be able to "swallow" the very bitter pill of extending the freeze in the West Bank in such a process.Hmmm.
A private element, engaged for many years studying the Israeli - Palestinian conflict who is in contact with Palestinian and American officials said that a few days ago he was approached by someone close to the prime minister and asked to undertake a discreet and informal check with government officials as to the feasibility of the matter. The Israeli passed the request to Washington, but did not know how the Americans responded to the idea. In addition, various elements indicate that in the opinion polls recently conducted by the Prime Minister's office, respondents were presented the question "Would you support extending the freeze for the release of Pollard?".
Likewise, you can also see that Prime Minister Netanyahu has held no orderly discussion about the end of the freeze - neither in the government or cabinet - which might indicate that something is happening behind the scenes and quietly. Defense Minister Barak is these days visiting Washington and met with American military officials. It is not known whether the release of Pollard is the subject of these meetings, but it is certainly a possibility.
Let's go back to the Arutz Sheva link for a minute and add this to the mix:
The last time Netanyahu reached an understanding regarding Pollard with an American president was with Bill Clinton – a Democrat, like Obama – in late 1998 during the Wye Plantation talks. Netanyahu agreed to release 500 PA terrorists from prison in exchange for Pollard’s release, in the framework of the Wye agreement in which Israel agreed to withdraw from over 13% of Judea and Samaria. However, at the last minute, Clinton reneged regarding Pollard – though Israel still released the terrorists.Those of you who think Bill Clinton was the best friend Israel ever had in the White House, keep that one in mind. I'm a little less concerned about that possibility though. Clinton was widely perceived to be a friend of Israel and most Israelis (including Netanyahu) trusted him. Obama is not trusted here at all and is very unpopular. I cannot see the government here falling for a trick like that.
Would you do this deal? I would under the following circumstances:
1. The extension is three months (at most) and not a day more.
2. Pollard is released immediately and not at the end or in the middle of the period. This is a one-time card that the Americans (and by extension the 'Palestinians') will not be able to play again.
3. The 'peace talks' agenda will not be adjusted to discuss only borders - as the Obama administration has proposed - and if in three months there is no agreement, the freeze is off the table completely and we will build where we please whether or not Obama or anyone else thinks it's an area that we will ultimately keep. Talking about borders without talking about security is meaningless.
4. At the end of December the freeze is over. If the 'Palestinians' want to walk out on the 'peace talks,' so be it.
At the end of the day, I don't believe the Americans will do this deal. When I mentioned George Tenet in one of Sunday's posts, someone in the comments pooh-poohed it. But it was Tenet's threat to resign as CIA director that convinced Bill Clinton to renege on his commitment to Netanyahu in 1998. More on Tenet's relationship with Israel here and here. A troubling incident regarding his relationship with Jews is here. Tenet was part of Obama's transition team after the 2008 elections.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:14 PM
8 Comments:
Why not give in to the Shalit family and release all the terrorist prisoners, too?
Have we all gone mad?!
I don't believe Israel should do the deal unless Pollard is released first and then the freeze is extended 3 more months. Israel would be getting something in exchange for extending it. And no - I'm absolutely opposed to freeing Barghouti - if that is a condition of releasing Pollard, I would prefer he die in prison than see innocent Israelis die at at arch-terrorist with Jewish blood on his hands.
And Pollard would agree. At the end of the day, I don't think Obama will do it. But its the only way he could help Netanyahu push a one-time extension through his cabinet.
In the meantime, we'll see how it plays out.
I know you guys largely think this is a great idea--but it will cause bad PR in the US--Obama may not have a dog in this catfight but whatever the disparity in sentencing he was a spy against his country which was the United States--he violated his oath and made it much more difficult for Jews to get security clearances. So the Israel right signs on to a deal that may not be good on its own and in exchange you hand a lot of PR to the Palestinian side. What is it about not photographing boatloads of classified documents becomes so difficult to understand when they are handed off to Israel? Bibi and the ministers he is trying to placate will regret this.
To ShyGuy
Are you still smoking that stuff? Do you really mean to tell me you cannot tell the difference between extending a moratorium for 3 months and the release of thousands of murderers and terrorists who are bound and determined to kill again? G-d have mercy on you!
To SparkytheWonderDog
Sparky, well-meaning but ill-informed know-it-alls like yourself do Pollard more damage than his enemies do, when you willfully repeat the lies, slander and canards that have been propagated about this case. First of all, Pollard was NEVER accused, indicted or convicted of spying against the US. The only charge against him was that he spied "for the benefit of Israel". Isn't it time to inform yourself?
Here is an excerpt from an article published in the Jerusalem post in rely to someone with the same kind of twisted ideas you have about Pollard.
EXCERPT:
"It was a last-minute secret memorandum to the court submitted by then-secretary of defense Caspar Weinberger which prompted the judge to ignore the plea agreement and sentence Jonathan to life. At sentencing, Jonathan saw the complete Weinberger memorandum and its hyperbolic worst case scenario accusations; but since then neither he nor his security-cleared attorneys has ever been permitted access to the document to challenge it in a court of law.
"Nearly two decades later in an interview, Weinberger recanted, admitting that the Pollard case had been exaggerated to serve another agenda, "it was a very minor matter, but made very important." When asked to explain, Weinberger reiterated that "the Pollard matter was comparatively minor. It was made far bigger than its actual importance."
"AMERICAN OFFICIALS who have seen Jonathan's complete sentencing file - former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Charles Schumer and Congressman Anthony Weiner among them - say that there is nothing in the file to justify Jonathan's life sentence.
Former CIA director James Woolsey knows exactly what Jonathan did and does not need to speculate. Woolsey wrote a compelling letter to president Bush urging him to commute Jonathan's sentence to time-served before leaving office in January 2009.
"Former US senator Dennis DeConcini, head of the Senate Intelligence Committee at the time of Jonathan's arrest, wrote to president Clinton in 1996 urging him to release Jonathan. He repeated his call for Jonathan's release in a 2008 letter to president Bush.
"Even those American officials who in the past had followed a politically-scripted agenda, protesting en masse Jonathan's release - a veritable Greek chorus of admirals, secretaries of defense, congressmen and senators - held their peace this time. The absence of orchestrated protest during Jonathan's recent clemency campaign spoke volumes to the White House.
"After meeting with Jonathan's attorneys, White House officials gave Jonathan's clemency petition the green light. In moving the petition forward to the president, they signaled their expressed belief that whatever Jonathan had done 24 years ago, the bill has been paid in full and it is time to release him.
SO WHY is Jonathan still in prison?"
===
To find the answer, read the full article at:
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2009/022209a.htm
David,
Are you the David from my law school class who's the Pollard expert?
David, didn't spy "against" the US? well, and why not? he spied for Israel by transmitting documents he had no right to transfer and that is an act against the national security of the United States on the face of it--whether he should serve life or not or Israel is an ally or not etc. etc is besides the point--I am not trying to do Pollard any favors, I am one of his "enemies" to use the parlance--I don't know why those who consider him a hero believe that American jews can engage in espionage to help Israel in violation of American laws whenever the spirit moves them--FBI counter intelligence is still obsessed with finding Pollard's supposedly missing handlers which partially accounts for the AIPAC espionage case.
The guy was an American citizen. American citizens do not have the right to transmit caches of highly sensitive documents to other countries. This is nuts.
Sparky the Wonder Dog,
Please consider this list of other people caught spying on the US for foreign governments in the time since Pollard was arrested, and the sentences they received (all American citizens by the way):
MICHAEL WALKER, part of the infamous WALKER SPY RING, was arrested in 1985, the same year as Jonathan Pollard. The spy ring he belonged to operated for 17 years, selling sensitive US military secrets to the Soviet Union, causing what authorities described as extensive damage to national security. He was sentenced to 25 years. WALKER IS A FREE MAN TODAY.
CLAYTON LONETREE, a marine sergeant guarding the US Embassy in Moscow, spied for the KGB and was sentenced in 1987 to 30 years. He gave the Russians the floor plans of the US Embassies in Moscow and Vienna, endangering the lives of all who worked there. His sentence was reduced 3 times. LONETREE IS A FREE MAN TODAY.
RICHARD MILLER is the first FBI agent ever tried for espionage. He turned over secrets, including a counter-intelligence manual, to the Soviets. He was sentenced to 20 years. MILLER IS A FREE MAN TODAY.
ABDELKADER HELMY, a missile researcher, was sentenced in 1989 for selling technology related to the Condor Missile project to Egypt which found its way to Iraq. He got 48 months and served considerably less. HELMY IS A FREE MAN TODAY.
SAMUEL MORISON, a Navy analyst, removed scores of confidential material, including photos he sold that were printed in Jane's Defense Weekly. The Photos were classified SCI; exposing such sensitive material carries a mandatory life sentence. The grandson of an illustrious Navy Historian, his family ties are the only way to explain why in 1985 he was sentenced to only 2 years, and served only 3 months. What is more, in spite of extreme opposition by the CIA to clemency, Morison received a full pardon from former President Clinton in January 2001. MORISON IS A FREE MAN TODAY.
RONALD MONTAPERTO For over a decade, Ronald Montaperto, a former pentagon analyst gave highly classified information to the Chinese which seriously damaged US National Security by hampering US efforts to track China's covert arms sales to nation sponsors of terrorism such as Iran, Syria and Pakistan. Montaperto was recently sentenced to 3 months in prison! Montaperto's miniscule sentence is nearly completed and by the time you read this you can be sure that MONTAPERTO IS A FREE MAN TODAY.
Puts Pollard's sentence in perspective, doesn't it?
Carl in Jerusalem--
There might have been disparate sentencing yes--still, the amount of stuff Pollard photo'd was stacks and stacks and stacks--otoh AFIK Walker's spying got laid on the door of Pollard--but from an American Jewish perspective, they guy wasn't a hero I don't think--but this doesn't seem to be on as an option anyways (and he'll get out, what? in 2015 I think). A 3 month extension in exchange for this or that may not be the menu--rather an indefinite extension and a rollback of Israel's presence past the Green Line--that might be the meal prepared for Bibi by his hosts.
For, as usual, "no preconditions" seems to be devolving into demanding concessions from Israel (and not just quid pro quo temporary extensions)--as diplomatic mechanisms crawl out of the woodwork and the usual Western suspects suggest (demand?) that Israel get on board with the program.
I don't see why dragging Pollard into the mix helps Israel do what needs to be done or that a 3 month extension is what the peace process sponsors have in mind. Bibi might as well clear the air at the outset if a bum's rush is in progress and tell Obama and the other powers and principalities that no good precedent is accomplished by inviting negotiations on the basis of no preconditions and then welshing to pivot towards an imposed settlement by degrees--the freeze is off. Bibi constantly seems to misread Obama's sort-of-assurances as being trustworthy imo.
The issue imo is not Pollard or not Pollard but Munich or not Munich--is a freeze legit or are the wheels being greased on a bad deal for Israel by the same powers effectively enabling Iran's nukes, directly and indirectly. Thats the judgement call to be made and it is a tough one for Bibi. Coz the usual crowd is claiming that the freeze has had a "positive impact" when the Palis ignored it for 10 months and after they told Bibi it wouldn't be a precondition.
"The Quartet of Middle East peace mediators is set to request on Tuesday that Israel extend the settlement moratorium currently in place in the West Bank, explaining that the freeze has had a positive impact on peace talks, Reuters reported on Tuesday."
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