Treason convict Nahum Manbar could be released in next few days
Businessman sentenced in 1998 for selling military equipment to Iran to request cut in sentence.
By Haaretz StaffNahum Manbar, a businessman sentenced in 1998 for selling military equipment to Iran, is due to appear before the Israel Prison Service parole board Wednesday to request that his 16-year sentence be cut by a third, a prison service spokesman said yesterday. If his request is granted, Manbar, who was convicted of treason, is expected to go free in the next few days.
The security establishment will not oppose Manbar's release, Channel 2 reported.
The prison service said Manbar has not posed any disciplinary problems and that he has gone on furlough several times while serving his sentence. Manbar has been held in Nitzan Prison in Ramle for the past eight years.
Manbar, who was born on Kibbutz Givat Haim, near Hadera, fled Israel in the 1980s after being convicted of fraud. He closed several weapons deals with Iran while living in Poland and made plans for larger deals, like selling Iran Soviet-made tanks, that were never carried out.
The arms deals brought Manbar into contact with those responsible for Iran's missile and chemical weapons programs. After several meetings with them, primarily in Vienna, Manbar agreed to supply Iran with more than 120tons of chemical material, which could be used to make chemical weapons. All told, his deals with Iran are said to have made Manbar tens of millions of dollars.
At the same time, apparently to provide himself with an alibi, Manbar told the Shin Bet security service he was trying to get information about missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad. However, the security forces warned him to stop making contact with Iran.
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There is a death penalty in Israel. It is just never used, well almost never. Try a little due diligence before posting disinformation.
On the assumption that this man is a low life and not a Mossad agent, You cant compare this to the Pollard case at all. Pollard endangered nobody and spied for an ally of the USA. Nahum Manbar sold weapons and chemicals to a sworn enemy of Israel. It is you that shows ignorance as well as a callous diregard for those that help the state while trivialising someone whos actions could have caused harm.
...to make Sally's first point about the percieved double standard when compared with Pollard.
Are these e-mails from the same people who are screaming at the top of their lungs that the USA has mistreated convicted spy Jonathan Pollard? Don't these people know that there is no death penalty in Israel? But the best part is the conspiracy theory thing -- why is that for good or bad the Mossad and its staffers are always blamed? gees these armchair pundits are just too sad and funny with all their ignorant banter!
Revoke his citizenship ...it is a privilege to be an Israeli citizen - one that he took for granted and put his country and fellow citizens in danger. Dealing arms to an arch enemy is despicable, dangerous and dumb.
He wasn't shot because he didn't do anything. all of his deals with Iran were at the behest of the Mossad. He was sent to the Gulag becasue he knew too much regarding bribes and such within government circles and stopped playing by the "rules". This is all about internal defense politics and we'll never know the whole story until the Messiah arrives.
BECAUSE HE NOW HAS TO FINISH HIS REAL JOB! PERHAPS NOT REALY TREASON! YOU KNOW!
Instead of this talk about cutting his jail time, can someone please tell me why he wasnt shot at dawn after his conviction ?????????????????????????????