North Carolina – Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard told his wife Esther from his North Carolina jail cell Wednesday that he was “very disappointed” that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni did not act to help bring about his release during her visit to the US last weekend.
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A massive campaign was conducted behind the scenes in Washington to persuade US president George W. Bush to commute Pollard’s sentence to time served before he left office on Tuesday.
But despite the private campaign and an international grassroots effort, Bush did not pardon Pollard, leaving him to continue serving his life sentence.
Pollard, 54, blamed President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Livni for his remaining in jail after some 24 years. But he singled out Livni because of her close ties with the Bush administration and the fact that she had come to Washington at a critical time, days before the end of Bush’s term.
“Regarding government leaders such as Olmert, Barak, Livni and Peres, their disinterest in an Israeli agent was stunning,” his wife quoted Pollard as saying.
“It spelled the difference between success and failure and in a very real sense, between life and death. Livni not using her influence to help bring about my release was tantamount to signing a death warrant.”
Asked how Pollard was aware that Livni and other Israeli leaders had not taken action on his behalf, Esther Pollard said that she and her husband knew from American sources.
“We know from our American contacts that they were waiting for Israeli leaders not only to express their support for the release of their agent but also to accept responsibility for him, but it never happened,” she said. “The government of Israel has a moral and legal responsibility for all its operatives, Pollard no less than Gilad Schalit.”
Livni said in response that Pollard’s statements were “unfortunate.”
“It is preferable that action to bring about Pollard’s release be taken behind closed doors, even if it means allowing inaccuracies to be printed and my good name to be harmed,” she said.
Esther Pollard said her husband’s health was deteriorating. She described his physical condition as “extremely delicate and poor” and suggested that the bad news he received Tuesday would only make his health worse.
Responding to a campaign by Israeli students asking President Barack Obama to commute Pollard’s sentence, she said that Obama would likely not grant clemency petitions for at least another four years and perhaps only in eight.
“I don’t know if Jonathan is going to survive another eight days, let alone another eight years,” she said. “Jonathan needs to come home now.”
“No stone was left unturned” in the effort to bring about her husband’s release, Esther Pollard said. Top lawyers filed a petition that demonstrated the injustice of Pollard’s case and the gross disproportionality of his sentence, lobbyists reached all the key people in the White House and the American intelligence community supported his release.
But Esther Pollard said that despite the missed opportunity, she and her husband still maintained hope that he would soon be released from prison. She asked the public to pray for his welfare.
“Living 24 years knowing the people you worked for betrayed you and still haven’t changed is a tremendous burden for any soul to bear,” she said. “But if Jonathan had lost hope, he wouldn’t be alive today.
“We believe that God runs the world. And as Jonathan said to me, ‘God did not betray us, man did.'”
enough already.
rabboisai theres at least 500 things more important than making phone calls for konathan pollard. do any of these so called community leaders wonder the damage we can do to ourselves by anoying the switchboards so much?
posters 1and 2, you are pathetic. I, for one, am davening for him and i sincerely hope all good Jews could say the same.
He did betray the u.s. he did break american laws. but you would think Israel the country he risked his self for would help him out.
This man didn’t kill anyone. He didn’t rape any boys. He didn’t steal 50 billions dollars. Even if he hasn’t learned his lesson he has gotten enough jail time.
here is something to ponder. if a muslim working in the government was to give important info to a middle eastern country are security would be at risked. and you would want that person in jail for life.
In answer to number 3
How exactly did he endanger the security of the united states, he gave information to friend country Israel which resulted in greater security for the united states, since the USA did not have to deal with an atomic armed enemy Saddam Hussein in Iraq!
the only reason he is still in prison is because of Anti Semitic Politicians & self hatting Jews who are embarrassed to stand up for their own brothers.
Maybe he should blame himself for spying. The man is an enemy of the state for stealing classified documents and turning them over to a foreign government. Regardless if he is receiving harsher treatment than anyone before him, the facts are he is a traitor to the USA. He should be happy they didn’t execute him. We should daven that he has an easy time in prison and that the government have rachmanus on him, but please stop trying to blame people for your punishment, you did the crime…
Hopefully he will apply for parole and be released through that mechanism.
Let’s recall what he passed on to Israel which was SUPPOSED to have been given to them anyway.
It was the info on the Iraqi nuclear reactor which was bombed by Ilan Ramon (died on the space shuttle). This worked in the US favor when we invaded Iraq.
All in all it helped the USA & NO ONE who ever did anything similar to what he did sat in jail for as long as he has under the conditions he has.
Jonathan is my hero. Israeli politicians are no more then a bunch of sad clowns. Look how immature Mr Olmert looked when he concocted the story of rice and bush. They hate the citizens, look at gush katif.
Hashem yerachem
Jonathan is a great role model!
“How exactly did he endanger the security of the united states”.
There’s the rub. Those who know exactly how he endangered the security of the US (including some frum Jews I’ve spoken to), are convinced that the damage he did was irreparable, and, if freed, he would still constitute a security threat to the US.
Unfortunately, they are not permitted to reveal the details of the information which convinces them so strongly.
IF THEY CAN FREE TERRORIST FROM GITMO WHY cant thay free Jonathan Pollard. Now is the time for activist to write and call the white house hotline in mass to the new president. There is hope.
My understanding is that to get a pardon or a commutation, one has to show sincere remorse. In all the reporting about Pollard, I haven’t seen any mention of his remorse or apolgies for his acts. Does anyone know if he has issued such statements?
To all: I’m not sure why nobody has posted this, but some of the information he gave Israel had nothing to do with protecting the Jewish state but pertained to our defense of Europe from Russia. Remember this was during the cold war. Israel subsequently gave the info to Russia to keep Jewish emigration open. This put hundreds of thousands of American troops not to mention European civilian’s lives at risk. For this reason he will probably spend the rest of his life in prison.
#20 your mean to say that .It is important he has a jewish neshoma
It is HIS own fault. He is a criminal. He belongs in Prison for life.
He is a spy. He spied for another country and gave away MY countries Secrets.
He is lucky he is not executed for his crime.