Observation: American hypocrisy: refusal to release Pollard causes stalemate
in talks to return Abbas to table

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 28 June, 2013

Ma'an, the independent Palestinian news agency, reported this morning that
secret talks are being held over the release of pre-Oslo prisoners. PA head
Mahmoud Abbas has insisted that 107 Palestinians detained before the Oslo
agreement must be released before the PLO will return to negotiations with
Israel.

First a technical note: when PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told Ma'an
the release of prisoners detained before 1993 was part of the 1999 Sharm
el-Sheikh memorandum and that Israel was obliged to abide by it he was a
barefaced liar. And I say bareface liar because, unlike some of his Israeli
counterparts, Erekat actually knows the text of the 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh
memorandum, and that document in no way obligates Israel to release those
prisoners.

If Israel releases these terrorists it is because it decided to do it - not
because it is obligated to.

Now let's set the stage:

Here we are with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry going on and on about
how important and critical it is for Israel and the Palestinians to return
to the negotiating table and how we Israelis have to make sacrifices.

And he is pushing us to release the 107 terrorists who carried out crimes
against Israel more than two decades ago that were so despicable that they
are still in prison today.

So here is the simple question: if U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and
his boss President Obama genuinely believe that the talks are important, why
aren't they willing to make a "sacrifice" themselves?

A cold realpolitik fact: if President Obama offered to free Jonathan
Pollard in exchange for the 107 terrorists PM Netanyahu would have no choice
but accept the deal.

Netanyahu would have absolutely no excuse to refuse the deal. After all, is
there any element in the ruling coalition that would stop it? Of course
not.

Yes, Jonathan Pollard himself objects to being part of such schemes, but he
has no say in the matter. He is no more than a pawn in this story - just as
he was a pawn at Wye and
elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong - justice demands that Pollard be immediately released
without any strings attached.

But I am not talking about justice.

I am talking about what commitment the Obama administration actually has to
advancing the Palestinian-Israeli "peace process".

We Israelis have been subject to their endless preaching about how we have
to make sacrifices.

But if it is more important to President Obama to unjustly keep Jonathan
Pollard behind bars than to facilitate a return of the Palestinians to the
table then this speaks volumes regarding the lack of an American commitment
to advancing the "peace process".

To be clear: the release of Pollard does not require a long procedure
involving numerous authorities. It requires a pen, a piece of paper and a
president willing to sign.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il