How many terrorists does Gilad Shalit think Jonathan Pollard is worth?
Jonathan Pollard has been in American prisons for more than 28 years for turning US intelligence information over to Israel. He is in far worse health than Shalit was in. The United States has refused to release Pollard.
Gilad Shalit has now - more than two years after his own release - called for Pollard's release. But would he favor releasing 'Palestinian' terrorists in exchange for Pollard as was done for his own release (a question that is largely academic since Pollard will not allow Israel to trade terrorists for his release)? Apparently not.
"I heard the request tonight, like everyone else, from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to release Jonathan Pollard, who has sat for 29 years in prison," Shalit wrote to Yediot Aharonot. "After Israel has released terrorist prisoners back to the Palestinian Authority as a gesture [for negotiations], we ask for a mutual gesture."
"I am sure that like me, the entire nation of Israel agrees that to demand such a simple gesture as Pollard's release is well-deserved," Shalit continued.
"Please - all of you - join me in a clear call to our friends the Americans: We released dozens of terrorists with blood on their hands at your request - so extend to us this one gesture that can likely save [Pollard's] life," he urged.
...
Shalit's point addresses the fact that Israel has been generous about releasing convicted terrorists back to the PA to appease the US, who is brokering peace talks between the PA and Israel. Pollard, by contrast, presents little security risk to the US.In other words, while Israel paid more than 1,000 new terrorist releases for Shalit's freedom, Pollard's should be based on past services rendered. Whether Shalit would favor releasing new terrorists in exchange for Pollard is unanswered.
I guess Shalit doesn't think Pollard did as much for Israel as he did.
Labels: Gilad Shalit, Jonathan Pollard, Palestinian terrorists
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:30 PM
1 Comments:
I think you're being unduly harsh here. Gilad did not make the decision on how his release was to be secured, and even if he could have, there's a big difference between being imprisoned by Hamas, and being in a US prison by a long shot.
Pollard's long imprisonment is unjust, yes, but don't compare his case to Gilad Shalit's.
Gilad's father's hypocrisy on such matters is a different case altogether, but again, that's not Gilad's fault.
(I was against releasing terrorists for Gilad - I think anybody who understand the long-term nature of this conflict would - so can we really blame Gilad for realizing this too?)
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