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Last update - 09:11 25/04/2008 One fool throws a stone By Yoel Marcus Tags: Jonathan Pollard  The bombshell about the arrest of a Jewish spy in the United States reminds me of the awful joke about the woman who went to the police to report being raped 21 years ago. When the officer at the desk asked her why she had come forward after so many years, she replied: "It's nice to reminisce." The same question could be asked about the motives of the FBI: What made them wake up now and charge an 84-year-old American Jew with spying for Israel 23 years ago? The national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, is correct in expressing astonishment at the timing. If Ben-Ami Kadish's actions were so serious, how come they waited 23 years? To prove that Israel broke the formal promise it made after the Pollard affair not to engage in spying in the United States? Maybe. In the very first paragraph, the charge sheet states that Kadish collaborated with others, known and unknown - a clear hint that the FBI doesn't really believe that Israel kept its word. Advertisement The Bureau of Scientific Relations was indeed disbanded, and America's presidents believed that Israel would not engage in further espionage, but the truth is that the FBI was never fully convinced that Israeli agents weren't scurrying around America in some new disguise, pinching military secrets. The same FBI that for five years had no idea a plot to blow up the Twin Towers was being hatched under its nose spent a large part of its time harassing the Jewish aides of U.S. senators and congressmen. It didn't like the sight of Israeli leaders buttonholing U.S. officials at resource and policy institutes. So this is not a conspiracy masterminded by the U.S. administration but part of the FBI's scare campaign to keep sensitive information from being relayed to Israel by American Jews. This is the reason for the investigations and legal proceedings against AIPAC executives, who are accused of what appear to be very serious offenses. At various times over the past three decades, FBI agents have subjected Jews working in sensitive workplaces to interrogations that have been far from pleasant. The Bureau of Scientific Relations was established in 1957 as a classified unit of Israel's Defense Ministry whose major goal was tracking down the finest Jewish minds in the sphere of nuclear and advanced weapon technology. Over the years, it became the main recruitment agency for Israel's defense industries, from nuclear development to the Biological Institute in Nes Tziona. The bureau sent out "scientific attaches" to different countries, but it was clear that their job was to recruit agents to obtain classified, high-quality information about top-secret projects. This reliance on Jews holding key posts in countries with advanced defense industries was a basic mistake. It created a problem of dual allegiance for many Jews. From this standpoint, the arrest of an 84-year old American Jew for handing over secrets to Israeli agents over two decades ago is a very grave matter - much more so than the Pollard affair. This is because Jonathan Pollard was paid for his services, while Ben-Ami Kadish did what he did out of the desire to help Israel. In so doing, he crossed the line that American Jews avoid like fire: They are Americans more than anything else. It is no accident that America's Jews are so anxious for the friendship between America and Israel to continue. They don't want to be forced to choose between these loyalties. An Israel that spies on the United States creates problems with those who are not lovers of Israel and its over-influence in the corridors of power. Many Americans may not be thrilled by Hillary Clinton's statement that if Israel is harmed, Iran will be obliterated. Across broad swathes of America, people are getting tired of Israel and its problems with the Arabs, which have dragged president after president into conflicts with the Islamic world. The FBI probably knew about Kadish long ago. He was under close surveillance, not least in the hope of exposing other Israeli spies and proving that Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin's pledge not to spy on America was never kept. It seems more likely the timing was chosen to eliminate the possibility that George W. Bush will pardon Pollard on Israel's 60th birthday. The Bureau of Scientific Relations changed its face when Ariel Sharon appointed Rafi Eitan to head it. Eitan, upset at being passed over to head the Mossad, turned the bureau into a Mossad substitute. He obtained intelligence for Israel's leaders and made them accomplices in the unpardonable sin of spying on America. After Pollard's arrest, the bureau was closed down. The Israeli government apologized and promised in writing that such a thing would never happen again. One fool throws a stone in the well and a thousand wise men can't retrieve it. The greatest scandal of all is that Rafi Eitan is still deemed fit to serve as a government minister. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Obscene gestures Alleged 'Heil Hitler' comment lands German lawyer Horst Mahler in court AMOS-3 video Israel's sophisticated new communications satellite launched into orbit.   1.   QUESTION OF TIMING 09:33  |  MISTER X 25/04/08   2.   Americans spy on America 13:09  |  Zev 25/04/08   3.   Spy confesses 13:16  |  David Nilsson 25/04/08   4.   let`s consider it positively - 14:18  |  saul a. readner 25/04/08   5.   Timing is not the issue 15:52  |  Phillip 25/04/08   6.   let`s consider it positively - 16:23  |  saul a. readner 25/04/08   7.   Kadish` "service" ended after Pollard - Israel kept its promise 16:32  |  Raymond in DC 25/04/08   8.   what about american spies in israel?.... 17:22  |  scallywag 25/04/08   9.   Kadish arrest 18:53  |  John D. Shook 25/04/08   10.   RAYMOND IN DC - YOU HAVE A CLEAR POINT! 22:50  |  MISTER X 25/04/08   11.   the American Conservative magazine`s blog 1/2 13:28  |  Dan Hadan 26/04/08   12.   he American Conservative magazine`s blog 2/2 13:29  |  Dan Hadan 26/04/08   13.   Israeli Spies and the Holocaust 18:53  |  Mr. K 26/04/08   14.   This "affair" is a joke and a political game 19:20  |  Bob 26/04/08   15.   traitor, not spy 22:58  |  Pete 26/04/08   16.   Pollard was a scapegoat 01:53  |  Concerned 27/04/08   17.   do you think we are idiots 19:20  |  michael con 27/04/08   18.   You hunt for Nazis don`t you? 08:01  |  Jorge 29/04/08

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