Questionable "New" Spy Case Calculated to Pressure Israel

J4JPnews Release -April 23, 2008

The US has put Israel on the defensive once again, with breaking "news" in
the American media, accusing Israel of running a spy in the US prior to the
Pollard case.

This is not the first time that American officials have put Israel on the
defensive to further a particular political agenda. Nor is this the first
time that the Americans have done so by breaking a news story accusing
Israel of spying in the US. The latest accusations against Ben-Ami Kadish of
New Jersey, an
84-year old former employee of the US Army, is just one more round.

It is not clear for how many years the US has been sitting on this "breaking
news" story waiting for the right moment to hurl new accusations against
Israel, and falsely and unfairly target Jonathan Pollard by association.

In the past, as soon as the news hype dies down and Israel is on the
defensive, the inflated accusations in the American media somehow fade into
oblivion, and the only thing that remains is the damage that has been done
to Jonathan Pollard by association.

Unlike other espionage cases in the US, which are dealt with on a case by
case basis, every accusation against Israel is yielded like a club against
Jonathan Pollard - as if the 23 years he has served is somehow not enough
to make up for all of the sins of Israel.

In media interviews in Israel today, Esther Pollard expressed disappointment
at the failure of Israeli politicians, particularly the Prime Minister, to
articulate clearly that the accusations against Kadish in the US, are in no
way related to Jonathan Pollard's issue; that Pollard has more than served
his time, and that Israel intends to seek his immediate release, separate
and apart from any other issue.

Esther Pollard pointed out that Israeli politicians have no shame in making
public pronouncements to advance the release of a Palestinian terrorist
murderer who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail, but can't
find their tongue to articulate concern for Jonathan, an Israeli agent in
peril, who has served 23 years of a life sentence for his activities on
behalf of Israel.

Pollard, she said, has served more than 5 times the usual sentence for the
offense he committed. He is ill and in danger of life and death. The US has
promised his release on a number of occasions - including a commitment at
the Wye Summit in 1998. Israel released 750 Palestinian terrorists as the
price for Pollard at Wye, but the US has yet to honor its end of the deal by
releasing Pollard. According to Dennis Ross, a US senior official at Wye,
Pollard's release was withheld at the time, only because the US regards him
as too valuable a "bargaining chip" and needed for use against Israel in
final status talks.

When asked by Israel's Channel One TV News what impact this latest story
will have on chances for her husband's release, Esther responded, "It will
have whatever impact Prime Minister Olmert chooses for it to have. To date,
Olmert has still not made an official request for Jonathan's release. It is
time for the Prime Minister to discharge his legal and moral responsibility,
to save the life of an Israeli agent in peril, who has already served a
grossly disproportionate sentence. There is solid support for Jonathan's
release. Every senior American official familiar with the case and the
secret files -people like James Woolsey, former head of the CIA and Senator
Dennis DeConcini, former head of the Senate Intelligence Committee at the
time of Jonathan's arrest - have been on record for years saying it is time
to release Jonathan Pollard. There is no excuse that trumps the 23 years
that Jonathan has already served in American prisons."

Esther Pollard noted the suspicious timing of the breaking "news" story,
just prior to President Bush's anticipated visit to the region. She urged
the Prime Minister not to be deterred by this blatant attempt to put Israel
on the defensive; and to simply do the right thing: "Bring Jonathan home
now, alive, in time for Israel's 60th anniversary!"

--
JUSTICE FOR JONATHAN POLLARD
Website: http://www.JonathanPollard.org
RSS: http://www.JonathanPollard.org/rss.htm