New book reveals FBI did not suspect Pollard ties to Israel
Retired U.S. Navy officer: FBI believed Pollard worked for Pakistan, South Africa or Saudi Arabia.
By Amir Oren and Haaretz CorrespondentPrior to Jonathan Pollard's failed attempt to seek refuge in the Israeli Embassy in Washington on November 21, 1985, the Federal Bureau of Investigation did not suspect that he may have been spying for Israel.
In fact, even though he was a civilian analyst for U.S. Naval Intelligence, the FBI did not even know that Pollard was Jewish. This, according to a new book, "Capturing Jonathan Pollard" (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2006) by Ronald J. Olive, the retired officer from the Naval Investigative Service, a branch of Naval Intelligence, who interrogated Pollard.
According to Olive, up until the moment Pollard approached the Israeli Embassy, he was suspected of spying for another country, possibly several countries, among them Pakistan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and others. Even after his arrest, had Pollard not admitted that he was spying for Israel, the FBI would have focused on other possibilities.
Three days prior to his arrest, on November 18, 1985, Pollard admitted to Olive during a polygraph test that he sold Top Secret documents to a foreign country. At that point, Pollard gave up his right to remain silent and his right to have an attorney present during questioning.
During his confession, Pollard gave information regarding the scale of his espionage, the methods and the payments, but led his interrogators astray when he told them that the material was given to a CBS reporter in Afghanistan who then sent them on to Pakistan or another country.
Pollard was then released and was placed under surveillance by the FBI, which repeatedly failed to keep track of him. For his part, Pollard continued in his efforts to contact his handlers from the Bureau of Scientific Relations (Lekem), which, at that time, was being run by Rafi Eitan, a minister in Ehud Olmert's government.
The publication of the book, with reviews and testimonies from U.S. Navy veterans and other security experts, is indicative of the bitterness still felt over how Israel betrayed the United States and the "colossal" damage Pollard caused to U.S. national security.
The grudge is particularly strong toward Eitan and Colonel (res.) Aviam Sela, who recruited Pollard and served as the first of his handlers.
According to the book, Lekem officials, such as the scientific attache at the embassy in Washington, Ilan Ravid, were granted immunity in return for contributing to the American investigation.
The publication may spark a renewed public and political effort against the possibility of amending Pollard's sentence. According to the sentence passed in 1987, Pollard is scheduled for release only on November 21, 2015.
However, the issue of Pollard's punishment, which is central for many Israelis, does not receive great attention in the book. What the book does do is serve as an indictment of Israeli and American bureaucracy.
Olive compares Pollard, who received $30,000 per year from Israel for his services, to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
The Pollard interrogation and damage assessment operation received the code-name "Foul Play," perhaps describing the American feelings of betrayal by Israel.
Former president George Bush told Olive in 2005 that Pollard "belongs just where he is, in jail. You do know there are a lot of people trying to get him out. That really burns me out."
According to Olive, Pollard became a suspect by chance, and even after investigators found incriminating evidence in his home, such as Top Secret documents, their inclination was to regard him as careless and that he had forgotten to return materials he had taken home from work.
The string of coincidences is impressive: It was by chance that a colleague saw him go to his car, instead of the basement of the office building where they were working, as he had said he would. This resulted in suspicions voiced to a senior officer.
It was by chance that Anne Pollard, his wife, ran into an FBI surveillance vehicle, while rushing to get rid of incriminating evidence in a suitcase.
Also, by chance, the FBI had staked out a nearby building, where Robert Pelton, who worked for the National Security Agency and was also suspected of espionage, lived.
Finally, it turned out that the father of the neighbor to whom Anne Pollard had given the incriminating suitcase to hide was a U.S. Navy officer who insisted on informing the security officers at his base, who then called the FBI. This happened a few hours before Federal investigators planned to close the case against Pollard.
According to the book, bureaucracy allowed Pollard to fall through the cracks and avoid early detection of a problematic personality: he failed entry exams into the CIA, but still got into Naval Intelligence; he managed to get hold of an ID granting him access to Top Secret documents having nothing to do with his position; he used drugs and made outrageous claims (that his fiance had been kidnapped at gunpoint by Irish terrorists or that his father ran the CIA office in Prague).
On a weekly basis, Pollard managed to sneak out of his office tens of thousands of Top Secret documents and copy them. According to intelligence estimates, the number of documents involved exceeded one million pages. The number of less sensitive documents he took, for which he did not have to sign a log, is still uncertain.
According to Olive's calculations, when Pollard is released, he will receive $3.6 million in compensation from Israel. However, one of the more experienced colleagues in the interrogation team said that what motivated Pollard the most was neither greed nor ideology, but the need to be recognized.
"You botched it!" Pollard triumphantly told the FBI agent who arrested him outside the Israeli Embassy. "You thought this was a Soviet Bloc operation, didn't you?"
On the basis of Pentagon and law enforcement sources, Olive concludes that the nature of the information Pollard passed on to Israel did cause real damage to U.S. security. It is also believed that what Pollard still remembers could still undermine U.S. national security if it gets out.
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Right-wing activists demonstrating for Jonathan Pollard's release outside the prime minister's official residence and the American consulate in Jerusalem on November 23, 2005. |
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We do know that the Israelis and well as influential Democratic Jewish politicians DID make strong representations to President Clinton for the release of Pollard and that Clinton was going to approve his release until the head of the CIA specifically informed Clinton he would resign and make a public controversy out of it if he did. Never mind! You people have your minds made up to forget the details to the contrary!
I do not understand how anyone can have the chutzpah to blame MK Eitan for his good and loyal service in support of Israel's national security--he is a hero of our people's homeland! Can anyone view Pollard as in any way innocent or NOT largely responsible for his own fate? Did he really give US national intelligence information out of concern for Israel? Then why did he only do it in return for $30,000 per year? And Anne Pollard had incriminating evidence in her car and ran into an FBI surveillance vehicle. And she personally gave incriminating evidence to the father of a neighbor to hide? It seems to me she should feel fortunate she is not in prison as well--where SHE belongs! Anne Pollard should start looking in the mirror instead of blamimg Rafi Eitan!
With the highspeed copying machines available at the time they could copy the documents and read them at their leasure.
Whether or not he did, his security oath prohibited his passing it on to ANYONE without authorization. The wording of the oath, as I remember, speaks of an enemy or potential enemy. In this instance, the fact tht Israel passed on the information to Russia clearly fits that.
Again and again and again, you change the subject of crimes Israel has committed to discuss other people's crimes. What has anything Palestinians did got to do with Israel's unjustifiable offense against the US?
You are correct that the traditional Jewish value for learning and the opportunities for education available for them in the past two centuries have enabled Jews to do very well in science. I am interested in your point, however - are you implying that Jews are more intelligent than any other group? If not, why bring this up?
You're correct; that was badly phrased. Would you agree that American tolerance has given the Jews who came to America the opportunnity to create the most prosperous Jewish society in the world, and that without that tolerance such prosperity would not have been possible?
A reminder to Americans that Israel is the friend only of itself.
Google Seymour Hersh and Pollard and you'll find the New Yorker article Hersh wrote on exactly what Pollard did. The amount of info he swiped was enormous, much of it to do with submarine communication and technology and also how we communicated with agents in the USSR. It is believed Israel traded all that to the Soviets in exchange for a large number of Russian Jews allowed to leave for Israel. While I certainly applaud anyone getting out of the USSR I think the price of the ticket was a little high for the US to pay. Soviets spying for the US died. Whether this might be the gamble they risk for spying is another question. As is the question of Pollard's sentence. If he's to be released in 2015 he's doing okay considering the enormity of the act. Far better than the Rosenbergs, the execution of whom was a crime.
Better watch out for those outrageous claims that seem to be flying about. So you've read those million pages of information yourself, have you? Maybe you're some incredibly high ranking intelligence officer with access to summaries of Pollard's information and here and now you just can't resist the temptation to set the record straight. Wow!
As a Jewish American, I am embarrassed that Israel would spy on its strongest ally, the United States. The damage it could cause the relationship between Israel and the U.S. far outweighs any other considerations. I would fear for the future of Israel if it lost the support of the U.S. I hope this never happens again.
Did I read correctly? Pollard stole tens of thousands of pages a week, totaling over ONE MILLION PAGES OF SECRET DOCUMENTS. When did he have time to do his work? Tens of thousands a week equals over two thousand a day. Those he passed them on to most have been very speedy readers. Does anyone want to buy a bridge?
You know it really doesn't matter how much damage Pollard has actually done or if he was given credit for others wrong doing. The fact remains that he was guilty of stealing large amounts of government documents and handing them over to a foreign power. The reason he got life and the reason he is not out yet, is that he opened his big trap and tried to play the hero before sentencing, and he continues to do this to this very day. If he had shown some remorse initially he probably would have gotten off with a much lighter sentence. He basically screwed himself. I have little sympathy for the arrogant SOB.
part in all this affair that pollard's present attorneys not allowed to see the "secret" documents, according which he deserves life in prison, maybe because there is nothing in those papers.
What more is there to say, other than, "So why did he get a life sentence, and the miscarriage of justice is being continued?" Answer: Israeli Governments and American Jews have no self confidence to demand that which is theirs. Shah, shah, don't upset the apple cart!
How did pollard damage U.S.security?Casper Weinberger said it was the worst breach in our history.Former prime minister Shamir traded the top secert intel to the soviet union for the realease of soviet jews.
Israel owes an apology to the families of the USS Liberty.
be passed on? Do you have evidence he knew that his treason would benefit others and then proceeded despite that knowledge?. Tell us oh legal expert,then give us your evidence that his information was in fact passed on.
for the murdered diplomats in Gaza or any other murdered USA citizen. Just stupid obfuscations.
secretary of defense Weinberger said Pollard's case was the most damaging in U.S. history.Former Prime Minister Shamir traded the top seceret info to the soviets in exchange for the release of soviet jews.Another example of Dual Loyalty!!!
By your convoluted pseudo-logic, in which 1000's of innocent people were executed in revolutionary France, including the father of modern chemistry, for 'crimes against liberty', 'treason', and other trumped-up charges. Needless to say, you fly in the face of every fact known about the Pollard case. One need not speculate how you would respond if a such a case concerned a pro-Palestinian agent.
These insidious allegations that Israel passed on information about US to Soviet Union is nothing more than a sick joke. Pollard passed on to Israel information about its enemies that America was witholding from Israel. The information being withheld from Israel included Syrian, Iraqi, Libyan and Iranian nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare capabilities - being developed for use against Israel. It also included information on ballistic missile development by these countries and information on planned terrorist attacks against Israeli civilian targets.
no matter how many ISRAEL WILL ALWAYS GET AWAY WITH IT...
Since traditionally Jews have had a cultural prejudice toward learning (more toward secular learning since the Enlightenment), it is not surprising that Jews are overrepresented in these areas. Do you take this to mean that Jews are more intelligent, or otherwise superior, to gentiles?
Those were some of the senior scientists. Please give a list of ALL senior scientists, listing their religious affilliation.
You're correct; that was poor phrasing. However, it is true that the tolerance available here in America gave Jewish immigrants the opportunity to create for themselves the most prosperous Jewish society in the world. This, by the way,is true for many other ethnic groups as well. I believe the term is goldene medina.
and so are your posts.if you were more erudite you may well have quoted palmerston who said "there are no permanent allies only permanent interests"
Oh. I thought you were meant honest commentators who don't need specious generalities and intellectually dishonest accussations to hide behind.
ok; give specifics of the instances you refer to - or are you more comfortable with sweeping generalizations and broad but basisless accusations?
why would you be so surprised about the manhattan project when it is common knowledge that something of the order of 25-27% of noble science prizes are won by jews.that the united states field prize in mathematics given once every four years has a similar jewish success rate.in addition a mass of jewish scientists escaped europe and came to the united states in the war years.they were the heart of the manhattan project.
the senior scientists who made the bomb were largely jewish refugees from europe.there were so many from hungary they were called the martians.it was thought unbelievable so many scientists could come from one place.they included edward teller who went on to invent the hydrogen bomb. there were numerous jewish names among the middle and junior groups.some secular jews joined orthodox jews in prayer.prayer groups were formed. to all this must be added the fact that the project was based on the work of albert einstein.the latter formed the project when he wrote to roosevelt to push the programme through.
manhattan project including their religious affiliations." the project was led by robert oppenheimer who led a team of 6000 scientists.the senior scientists were dominated by jewish scientists from europe.the senior scientists included otto frisch, felix bloch, edward teller, pontecorvo, jay wechsler, irving goldfarb, john von neumann, hans bethe, rottblatt(later formed pugwash group)richard feynman, sziland,meiter,haber,sam cohen(later went on to invent the neutron bomb)louis slotin. others that come to mind are the danish scientist niels bohr but i am not sure if he was on the project.i would have to look it up. (more to come)
"interesting charge.please specify exactly where i said that tolerance was the reason jews flourished in america." thus potobac "having seen how our religious tolerance has created the most prosperous jewish society in the world" potobac. potaboc you are too easy.no fun at all debating you.
It may have been less damaging than some have speculated. Or perhaps it may have been even greater. The fact of the matter is this. Pollard broke the law, and he comitted espianage. It is apparent that it was a large amount of data that was listed as classified and top secret. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollard
you are dull potaboc.why those who dislike the jews of course.
Perhaps you missed it. After all, looking out over the vast vista's of sweeping generalizations that you make could make anyone blind.
There are more than a few potobacs in the US? What in the world does that mean?
That might be the case if members of those ethnic groups openly state that they are 100% supporters of (fill in the country), or that they say they have an undieing identification with the survival of (fill in the country) as a (fill in the ethnic group) state. I am not aware that those conditions apply for any of the ethnic groups you cite.
I'm sure YOU would have thought so, but then again you don't seem to have a very well-developed concept of what rational discourse is.
(1) That point was not clear to me. (2) An interesting charge. PLease specify (exactly) when and how I said that tolerance was the reason Jews flourished in America. If you can't, we must take this as another one of your usual baseless and ridiculous charges.
An interesting statement - please list all important people involved in the Manhattan Project, listing their religious group. Otherwise show how you can justify that statement
Ally is a meaningless term which only reflects what a nation's interests are at any particular time. We have been "allies" and enemies with, among others, England, Russia, France, Germany, China and Italy.
(1) I was unaware anyone said Jews have special powers to get Pollard released - please specify who and when. (2) I have never said Jews have no loyalty to the US; please indicate when you think I made such a ridiculous charge. Be specific. (3) Nobody can in advance be said not a potential traitor committing treason - Benedict Arnold was one of the greatest war heroes we have ever had and did as much as any other soldier to win the Revolutionary War. (4) To the extent that an American Jew has "a 100% commitment to the State of Israel", probably. Non-zionist Jews probably are loyal as any other Americans.
What I find appalling is how to this day, the Israeli regime has not apologized for it's treasonous acts. It's one thing for Pollard to not express remorse, the guy is a zionist kook, but for the Israeli government to continue with this facade of deniability is hard to stomach. Another apology is due to the FBI by American-Jewish leaders for slandering that institution by suggesting they were on a witchhunt and even suggested Pollards arrest was motivated by "anti-semitism". This new book rebukes that smear unequivocally. The FBI weren't even aware he was a Jew, much less knew he was dealing with Israel. Another strong rebuttle to those who argue the harm Pollard had done was minor--WHEN WE LEARN I MILLION CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS WERE TRANSFERED TO ISRAEL--and later to Former Soviet Union. The scope of his crime is collasol. I don't understand why there is even a debate over his release? The guy is lucky he is not on death row much less be demanding early release. His supporters in America are traitors as well. Thank God Americans didn't have to fight the FSU and learn the hardway how damage he has done.
Pollard plead guilty to one count of giving classified info. to an ally average sentence 2-4 years. Pollard was not a traitor as defined in Art. 3 Sect. 3 clause 1 of U.S. Constitution as that is giving info. to an enemy of the U.S. Pollard was not even charged with damaging the U.S. and former CIA Director James Woolsey recently said he reviewed the entire Pollard file and Pollard the info. Pollard gave Israel did not damage the U.S. In Weinberger's last interview on Pollard he said it was a minor matter. Olive is trying to sell books and the negative respondents clearly do not know the facts. It is an injustice that Pollard is still in jail and only those ignorant of the facts or anti semites believe he should still be in jail.
Is just another hall of mirrors. The case is more of innuendo than justic, farce over facts. But glad to know that there are people out there like you ready to beat the bush looking for un-American activities. You should form a committee.
As the US gov't has refused for thirty years to explain in even the most general terms how Pollard damaged US security, I must assume that Pollard's lifetime preventive detention is the product of a "gentleman's agreement". Reference to Judas Iscariot, the quote from GHW Bush, etc. are unmistakably redolent of old-school upper-class attitudes once widely associated with the US Navy officer corps. Any self-respecting Jew of a certain age will know exactly what that means. Moreover, Pollard was sentenced by a Jimmy Carter appointee based on a brief submitted by the late, unlamented Caspar Weinberger. What more needs to be said? Only that Pollard was an unstable individual with an apparent death-wish whose crime has by now been punished several times over.
there are more then a few potabocs in the united states.what could justify this interminable prison sentence.also a slight case of pour encourager les autres.
What do you expect? For that sum, the least the US can expect is that Israel does not have agents trying to collect US classified information detrimental to its security, whether it is with pollard or the AIPAC duo or Franklin or information passed on to the Chinese. We are not taking about intelligence gathering of submarines in Israeli waters. We are talking about the selling of highly classified information. I am not aware that Israel, hardly known for its timidity, has presented evidence that the US had paid operatives spying on the Israeli government.
It is interesting that the US can hold this over our heads...they have spies in Israel too
There are indeed many questions that still surround this case, not just from the Israeli side (although it wouldn't be an issue if Pollard didn't spy at all), but I would like to know what was so damning in the Sec. of Defense Weinberger and James Baker that prevented a further discussion of the evidence. I'm sorry, but the Iran Contra group does not hold the most credibility in the eyes of this American.
from the Arab world. Picking up all sorts of bad habits.
But I would easily put up money if the bet was that we spied on them at some point as well. If I remember correctly, a US submarine specked out for intelligence gathering, high tailed it out of Israeli waters when the Israeli navy came patrolling during the past year or two.
might as well lock up all the Japanese again, who knows when they might try to take over the US. Maybe the same should be said for the Chinese too. All Arab/Muslim citizens could be considered expected pawns of al-Queda, while the Italian Americans are working for the Mafia, and the South Americans for their local drug lords. Throw in the African American population (after all, to someone like you they all must be criminals if some are). And you're left with a nice and tidy US of A. Be careful what you wish for Potoboc, it sounds more like the old East Germany where neighbor spied on neighbor, and people dissapeared in the middle of the night.
i would have thought accusing us of sins committed frequently by you makes for the absence of rational discourse.
1 my point as you know was that the jews thrived in germany before 1933.there were no unique conditions in the united states that made much difference.if left alone jews always thrive. 2 your partonising is in pointing out that tolerance was the reason for jews thriving in america.that tolerance made for unique conditions unobtainable elsewhere.
your words potaboc.so taking you at your word that "vice and virtue are evenly distributed" why are the blacks jailed above their numbers in the population.unless it is atrocious oppression.
"why single out jews" because they were the leading personalites involved in the project and long after.
The FBI has plenty of time to investigate anyone on the left which is an environmentalist, against any war, or deemed anti-big business. It does not look for spies on the right. Which is why America's spies come from the right. Most notable in recent years was Victoria Lieu who was China's atomic-spy. She was the lover of an FBI agent, the head of security at Livermore Labs, and using one lover to give the FBI fraudulent information indicating a democrat at Los Alamos was the spy, while she penetrated Livermore's programs and turned over information on Livermore warheads. The FBI didn't even have the snap to know that the guy at Los Alamos didn't have access to the information she was giving to China. She was a major Republican fund raiser, which helped her a lot when it came time for trial. . .
One can only hope that the US government and Pentagon will not continue to botch up the Pollard case by releasing him, at any point. That way the US could make sure that this traitor is not paid for his selling of top US secrets to the all too eagre Israelis. He is hardly an isolated case. One could ask the New Zealand PM to answer enquiries about the Israeli spies in her country and the caper of the faked passports. Pollard is where he should be and one can only hope that he will die there and if he gets out and gets his $3.6M then the US should make sure that double that amount will be deducted from anything the US grants to Israel every year. Traitors should not be paid for their crimes.
It may well be that all American Jews have intense loyalty to America; (I have problems with statements which start "All (fill in the blank)" about any ethnic group. However, my problem is with any American who feels more identification with and loyalty to another country than with his/her own.
I would not have thought it possible, but you grow less coherent and more illogical as time goes by. (1) I can hardly pat myself on the back about the achievements of Jews in America, since I had nothing to do with those achievements. (2) What does Hitler have to do with the achievements of Jew in America? (3) How is saying Jews have done well in America patronize them? Please explain (if you are capable of rational discourse).
Wy do you keep asking why people who belong to a group which is more likely to commit crimes are more likely to wind up in jail?
I find it curious that anyone is so passionate in defending arresting people without any charge, not allowing them the possibility of any legal recourse, torturing them, and holding them in prison indefinitely at the pleasure of the state? Is North Korea another favorite of yours? As to Guantonomo, you never reply to my point: how does a wrong by any other nation excuse injustices committed by Israel?
As it happens, I don't believe that Jews are any more or less intelligent than any other ethnic or religious group - it's an American prejudice of mine. However, if it turns out that some Jews believe that their first loyalty is to another country, wouldn't that be a valid consideration in hiring them for sensitive positions?
In what way have I questioned the fact that Jews (as every other religious group) have made contributions to America? As far as I can determine the Manhattan Project was a non-religious activity involving people from various religious groups. Why single out Jews?
Curious. The Israeli's complain that Pollard is in jail, sentenced to stay there until 2015, but they won't go near the injustice they have perpetrated aginst Mordecai Vanunu who is still not allowed to leave israel even though he has compl;eted his sentence. By thwe way, whoe were the "Dancing Jews in New Jersey" who filmed the destruction of the Worl Trade Center on 9/11 who told the investigators the "..now you know what it feels like..." How did they know it was Arabs and not some other terrorist group that had flown the airplanes? After all, it was Tim McVeigh who blew up Oklahoma City, not Muslims.
the united states is indeed an ally.and a valued one.this is the first time you have not uttered a falsehood.
Jews have special powers to get him released. So now I ask you,because you are of the same bent. Why is Pollard still in jail if Jews run the show and owe no loalty to the USA?? PS. Your first reply is a total evasion as well. You have made certain allegations and statements in the past. In the light of your past statemments and stated sympathies:- 1.How can YOU be trusted not to commit treason. 2.Are other groups less likely to commit treason than American Jews.? Please provide facts and numbers to back up your case.Just facts.! No more evasions.
all american jews have feelings of intense loyalty to the united states.saying otherwise shows your antipathy to the jews.
on the achievements of the jews in the united states.the jews did extremely well before hitler came in january 1933.they achieved acdemic and civil excellence.just as they do in america.so potaboc kindly do not patronise us.
distributed in all groups." why then imprison blacks in numbers out of all proportion to their ratio.there are more then one million blacks in your prisons.is it straightforward oppression?
potaboc those two marvellous traits certainly do not tempt you.why would you bring up imprisoning without trial when you have the monstrosity of guantamo at your door?
since the jews have the highest psychometric profile in the united states it would not be helpful if they were left out of "sensitive positions".
the jews have indeed found a welcome haven in the united states.it has been a golden age for the hebrew people in america. yet do not forget the outstanding contribution american jews have made to the culture and achievements of the united states.the contribution has been long and rich.they do not need to be restated.not unless you wish me to give you details. we may however start with the manhattan project that gave the united states the upper hand at the end of the last war.
THIS PUBLICATION IS SPECIFICALLY PRODUCED TO DISCREDIT POLLARD AND DOWNGRADE USA -ISRAEL RELATIONS. WHY NOW - JUST SIMPLY - ISRAEL DID NOT DELIVER THE GOODS IN LEBANON TO THE USA. IN YOUR REPORT YOU FAIL TO IDENTIFY THE NUMEROUS SPIES FROM NON FRIENDLY USA COUNTRIES WHO WERE ARRESTED, CHARGED AND IMPRISIONED BY THE USA WHO DID FAR MORE DAMAGE THAN POLLARD AND WHOSE SENTANCES WERE REDUCED TO NEXT TO NOTHING. IS HAARETZ A PRO ISREAL PAPER TO PUBLISH THIS COLUMN WITHOUT REFERENCE TO OTHER SPIES - COULD START WITH ALDRICH AIMES
I note you put the word ally in quotes when referring to the US. After all the US has done for Israel,how can you question its status as an ally?
Whhy is he is jail? Because he sold out his country for the benefit of another country and did his country serious harm. Don't you have a problem with a person doing that?
You reach further and further to try to justify zionism; does using reason and logic ever tempt you? People of every religion and ethnic group have flaws and do bad things - that is a given. One of the advantages of growing up among many ethnic and religious groups is that one learns virtue and vice are about evenly distributed. That, however, is not the point. A non-zionist Jew would be probably less likely to cause problems for the US than most groups - having seen how our religious tolerance has created one of the, if not the, most prosperous Jewish society in the world would reenforce that. That is not the case with a true zionist; he/she feels it is his/her duty in cases when ones has to choose beween the interests of the US and Israel to choose those of Israel. How could that not cause a problem for any country? Is that not definitionally disloyalty?
Its funny how Israels true colours come out when scratched...USA, the major supporter of israel & its policies the major supplier of its arms, money, and all other types of support... CAN ANY JEW EXPLAIN 2 ME WHY YOU WOULD DECIDE TO STAB YOUR OWN BROTHER IN THE BACK??? andddddd CAN ANY AMERICAN TELL ME HOW CAN YOU TRUST PEOPLE LIKE THIS??? why does israel NEVER trust anyone... see i think thats your major problem... have faith and dont think everyone is like u (untrustworthy) and maybe you can solve most of your issues with your so called ENIMIES...
If it is as simple as the fool claims?
True, Pollard abused his position, abused the kindness of his host country and abused the trust of his colleagues. Israel doesn't need to resort to espionage with regards to it's allies & friends. All it has to do is ask. Forget Pollard he was just one guy...you should be far more concerned about the THOUSANDS of Muslims who are trying to get in everywhere to threaten security of the free world.
How many American Moslems do you feel should be there? How many have fought against the USA,killed Americans or plotted terror attacks?
As superior as yourself not to commit treason. Who can be trusted a white Anglo who sells out the USA for a buck or has suddenly decides to fight for Al Qeida? An African American convert to Islam? A Chinese American? A Moslem who has been in the US Army and then works for Anti USA terrorists.? Nobody can be sure.Are you sure biggots like yourself can be trusted.? You have said you "understand" terrorists striking the USA in "retaliation". How far does your "understanding" go? Can YOU be trusted not to assist in the bombing of a predominantly Jewish area in the USA? After all,by your logic and previous comments,most Jews deserve it and the USA has it coming.
Pollard is a traitor and a scumbag. He spied on America, and he is now sufering for it...GOOD. I am sick of the few Israelis who think this guy should be freed. We support Israel 100%, and all we ask is that you respect us back and not go against us. Most Israelis know that Pollard is a incompetent fool, and he will NEVER be let out of Prison. Any traitor to America is as bad as a traitor to Israel, they should be locked up and left to rot...simple as that.
What could Pollard possibly know that could be so damaging to U.S. National Security? Did his espionage result in people dieing? If not, then I see no reason for him to remain in an American prison. On the contrary, it is plausible that the U.S. has been involved in some kind of unethical activity (perhaps of the same or worse nature than that of Pollard's) that they don't want the rest of the world (particularly Israel) to know about. The United States is far too tight-lipped about this issue. Something has gone rotten, yet Israel too is strangely quiet in this matter. Maybe the story extends far beyond the scope of what we'll ever know.
LOL
Any old pretext for another whining demand on behalf of Israel that the traitor Pollard be released.
Writers 3 and 6 are on the correct track. Pollard is an embarrassment all around. Neither side wants the complete story told. In addition, the USA wants him to rot in jail as a constant reminder to Israel to never try this again, or else the complete depth of involvment by the Israel government will be exposed, probably ending forever the extreme generosity of Uncle Sam.
There are so many unanswered questions about the Pollard case: Why has an Israel PM or government never made an an "official" request to the USA for his release? Why does Rafi Eitan continue to speak so cynically about Pollard? What does he and other officials who ran Pollard - some currently in high positions - have to hide? It would seem that our politicians through the years have given only "lip-service'' to demanding Pollard's release both in Israel and the USA. Pollard's continuing imprisonment by our American "allies" and abandonment by Israel, hangs over our Israel's head like a terrible sword. Pollard's continuing abandonment does not bode well for other abducted and captured POW's. We, as a nation, each and every one of us, have left Pollard out in the cold. The opposite of Entebbe - it is a shameful disgrace! The information he gave Israel was apparently of great value. Why have we abandoned him?
Its people like Omar who DESERVE to be tortured in Guantanamo. ... well, that's what you get for saying the kind of crap you do :)
Have we forgetten that it was a secret letter from Weinberg that lead to his life sentence? Have we fogetten that certain VIPs in Israel used Pollard's information to get a cut of the Iran-Contra Affair - check out comments made by Oliver North when the senate investigated the deal. Yes, he did a lot wrong, but he has paid plent more then anyone else for the same crime. However, it is the dirty information that he has on various Israeli VIPs that keeps him in jail. It is Israel that also does not want him out. He cannot be trusted by the left wing elite to keep quiet. Don't forget it was an Israeli paid lawyer who mishandled the paper-work that resulted in the current situation.
bs... It was aldrich ames and Hansson who were the traitors... the information they sold was what was causing harm. Ames was supposed to be investigating Pollard. Instead he was framing him. Funny how after they imprisoned Pollard, the CIA agents in Russia kept being exposed.... It was Ames and Hanson....
Pollard had an undying commitment (normal zionist phraseology) to the existence of Israel as a Jewish national home. Those who wonder about the reported discomfort within the US government to having Jews in sensitive positions can thank people like Pollard who put their religious affiliation above their duties to their country. If Pollard, why not other Jews?
It seems surprising that someone so foolish and inept as Pollard could escape detection so long in spite of all his miscues. It is ironic that to much of the American security establishment, security procedures were an annoyance, something to be worked around or ignored. It is unlikely that Pollard will be released from prison anytime soon. Both the American and Israeli governments would cringe at all the publicity about Israeli spying on America, and American Jews would also cringe at the suspicion brought on to them by proxy. Pollard has earned his place, with free room and board and medical attention for the rest of his life. Let him enjoy it to the fullest.
Pollard did enough prison(Although he is a traitor and should be stripped of U.S. citizenship). He is broken old man. He should not have to do more prison just because the FBI is angry that he evaded them. What are all these secrets that America hid from Israel. Are they relevant twenty years later? I doubt it
Its people like Pollard who DESERVE to be tortured in Guantanamo.