Zionist Organization of America
News Release

One Freed Cuban Murdered An American

If Pres. Obama Can Free 3 Cuban Spies, He Must Free Jonathan Pollard

NEW YORK, December 18, 2014 --- The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is
strongly declaring that President Barack Obama, who has this week freed
three convicted spies who spied for an enemy regime, Cuba, must free
Jonathan Pollard, who spied for an American ally, Israel.

The ZOA further notes that one of the convicted spies freed by President
Obama was responsible for the murder of an American citizen and that all
three have served only 13 years for their crimes on behalf of an enemy
state, whereas Jonathan Pollard has been imprisoned for 29 years for spying
for an American ally.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "It is remarkable that
President Obama, who has been repeatedly urged by U.S. officials who held
responsibility at the time for national security and intelligence matters to
free Jonathan Pollard, has refused to do so.

"Conversely, he has shown himself, this week, to be willing to free three
convicted men who spied for a long-term enemy state, Cuba, including one man
who was responsible for death of an American national. Where is the logic
and justice in that?

"Jonathan Pollard passed on classified information to Israel, a U.S. ally,
not a U.S. enemy. There was, thus, no treason involved. Pollard pled guilty
to the charges and apologized for his crimes. His crimes did not lead to the
death of Americans, as was once claimed, but rather the espionage activities
of Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen, whose actions came to light only after
the Pollard sentencing, were shown to be responsible for those results.

"Despite, having pled guilty as part of a plea bargain, Pollard was shown no
leniency and was given the maximum sentence, comparable to that of Aldrich
Ames, the chief of CIA counterintelligence in Eastern Europe, who passed
critical defense secrets to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and was
found responsible for the deaths of at least 11 U.S. agents!

"A host of senior past high U.S. government officials with responsibility
for relevant national security, international and legal affairs, such as
former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George P. Schultz, former
CIA Director R. James Woolsey, former National Security Advisor Robert C.
"Bud" McFarlane, former Assistant Secretary for Defense Lawrence J. Korb,
former Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams, former Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence Chairman David Durenberger, former Deputy Attorney
General Philip Heymann; former White House counsel Bernard Nussbaum, former
Senate Judiciary Committee Member, Dennis DeConcini, and former U.S.
Ambassadors to Israel Samuel Lewis and Thomas Pickering, have all publicly
and in writing stated that Jonathan Pollard's sentence has been
disproportionate and urged President Obama to pardon him.

"Jonathan Pollard has already served nearly three decades behind bars, which
is by far the harshest sentence ever meted out for the offense he
committed -- the average term for which is a fine or two to four years'
imprisonment.

"If President Obama can free three spies for a hostile state like Cuba,
including a murderer, he can certainly pardon Jonathan Pollard. He should do
so without further delay."

About the ZOA

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is the oldest and one of the
largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States. With offices around
the country and in Israel, the ZOA educates the public, elected officials,
the media, and college/high school students about the truth of the ongoing
Arab war against Israel. The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations
through educational activities, public affairs programs and our work on
Capitol Hill, and to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias in the media,
in textbooks, in schools and on college campuses. Under the leadership of
such presidents as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Rabbis Abba Hillel
Silver and Stephen Wise, and current President Morton A. Klein, the ZOA has
been - and continues to be - on the front lines of Jewish activism.
www.zoa.org. For more information contact Mort Klein 212-481-1500