The Obama Administration is reportedly close to an extraordinary deal to get Israel back to the negotiations table: it is going to release Israeli spy, Jonathan Pollard. One could question why Israel needs any inducement to negotiate with the Palestinians for its own peace and more importantly why the U.S. is willing to free spies to get two other governments to negotiate. Notably, for years, Israel denied that Pollard was their spy — considered by many as compounding the dishonesty of spying on your closest ally. It was not until 1999 – over ten years later — that Israel admitted to the U.S. that he was their spy and that, while the U.S. was giving (and continued to give) billions in aid to Israel, it was maintaining spies in our government. Pollard’s release is rumored to be part of a release of prisoners from Israeli prisons to jump start a new round of negotiations.
Pollard was recruited by Israeli Air Force officer Aviem Sella, who was ordered to develop him as a spy by the Air Force Chief of Staff himself. The Israelis paid him $10,000 cash and expensive jewelry to betray his country. They also paid him some $1,500 per month for further espionage. He also alleged obtained information for South Africa and attempted to sell information to Pakistan. He was even tied to stealing information related to China for his wife to use in her business dealings. He was captured on videotape stealing classified information.
In interviews that may have backfired at the sentencing, Pollard and his wife Anne publicly admitted to spying for Israel in seeking to gain support from the American Jewish community. In a 60 Minutes interview, Anne said, “I feel my husband and I did what we were expected to do, and what our moral obligation was as Jews, what our moral obligation was as human beings, and I have no regrets about that.” That argument has resonated with some and there has been a strong movement to free Pollard within the American Jewish community. Many argue that he agreed to a plea bargain but was given no benefit of the plea by the sentencing judge. Many have also argued for years that the sentence is unduly harsh. Alan Dershowitz has been one of the oct vocal in writing :
[E]veryone seems frightened to speak up on behalf of a convicted spy. This has been especially true of the Jewish leadership in America. The Pollards are Jewish. … The Pollards are also Zionists, who—out of a sense of misguided “racial imperative” (to quote Jonathan Pollard)—seem to place their commitment to Israeli survival over the laws of their own country. … American Jewish leaders, always sensitive to the canard of dual loyalty, are keeping a low profile in the Pollard matter. Many American Jews at the grass roots are outraged at what they perceive to be an overreaction to the Pollards’ crimes and the unusually long sentence imposed on Jonathan Pollard.
For those who see Pollard as a craven traitor, his release to get Israel to negotiate in its own interest may seem a bit curious. It would suggest that you can betray your country but still walk if you spy for a powerful ally. There remains an uncertain line on how our government treats spies and traitors. There are members of Congress who are calling for Edward Snowden to be tried as a traitor and executed or put into jail for life. They insist that by informing the public of abusive surveillance Snowden must rot in jail. Yet, there is not a peep of opposition from Congress over this release. If the act of espionage can be excused when carried out for the right country or with the right motivation, many would expect a pardon for Snowden who appears to have acted without financial payment or inducement by a foreign power.
Secretary of State John Kerry is quoted as saying “It is difficult, it is emotional, it requires huge decisions, some of them with great political difficulty … We are continuing, even now … to find the best way forward.” Of course, many would question why other criminals are not given this “get of jail” card due to their connection to Israel. We recently discussed the equally (though distinguishable case) of the Sheinbein case. The trade of Pollard for Peace raises the question whether Aldrich Ames or Jim Nicholson should now be traded to get Russia to the negotiating table with the Ukraine.
An act of clemency based on some mistake or injustice in the sentencing would be understandable, including a decision that espionage sentences should be shorter. (Indeed, for Pollard advocates it would have been far better to argue those points than to tie the release to the peace talks. That nexus might play well in Israel but not quite as well in the U.S.) However, the sell the release as an exchange for — or facilitating — negotiations is difficult to square with other cases. Indeed, it goes against the trend of cases brought by the Justice Department which now invariably pushes for the equivalent of life in cases in a variety of national security cases involving material support allegations against Arab defendants and others. Consider the case of Chelsea Elizabeth Manning (born Bradley Edward Manning) who was 35 years for leaking information in the Wikileaks publications. Manning was acting in what he considered the public interest as did Snowden but there is no groundswell of sympathy in Congress.
The deal also raises serious question about the true commitment of Israel to a negotiation when it has to be induced with such a gift just to sit down at the table. Peace is in Israel’s own interest, right?
What do you think about such a quid pro quo?
Source: CNN
This is truly a fool’s bargain.
Whose war cry is Drill Baby Drill? Who is screaming because no permits are being given for deep drilling off shore? What party wants to eliminate regulation?
All those who believe the answer is Democrats, gets sent back to third grade.
The BP response was fitting a constitutional professor, not a leader. BP and poor govt. regulation was the reason for the disaster and the main culprit, w/o question. The response by Obama was bumbling akin to the Bush/Nagin response to Katrina, albeit that was involving human life and much worse.
Anyone who loves sausage or the law should not watch either being made.
– – – Bismarck
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
—-ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Takes some pretty interesting mental gymnastics to blame Obama for BP oil spill May I suggest that he consult with the Repubican congressman who apologized to BP for the administration’s insisting that BP pay damages.
Pollard for Peace? WTF. Why are these two things even linked?
What won’t King Obama do to have some type of legacy besides the BP Oil rig, Syria, Libya, Obamacare, IRS, etc. Why, he’ll releases treasonous spies, that’s all. Maybe it’s not as bad as Bubba, Holder, and Marc Rich? I don’t know.
No body loves me better…..
Dumb and Dumber go to Washington.
While I understand the possible use of Pollard in a quest to avoid continued bloodshed, I do not trust Israel to bargain in good faith on the Pollard matter or the Peace issue.
“The trade of Pollard for Peace raises the question whether Aldrich Ames or Jim Nicholson should now be traded to get Russia to the negotiating table with the Ukraine.”
It is difficult for me to believe that Pollard has any current valuable information that would benefit Israel or the U.S. I wonder what Obama’s motive it? Is it an act of benevolence or what?
If I understand the article correctly, Pollard seems to have had his fingers in everybody’s pie for self interest reasons. On the other hand, perhaps, he’s holding valuable information as a “get out of jail card,” to negotiate his release–information badly needed by Israel and the U.S.
I am not unalterably opposed to trading spies. It seems to me that the issues of spying are too important to be measured by the standard of morality or right and wrong. The main issue would seem to be whether powers can reach agreements that lead toward stability or maybe transparency.
But the issues of the Pollard case seem far removed from the issues of middle east peace.
I find it difficult to believe that a party would be motivated to compromise historical issues for what is by comparison a minor payment on an irrelevant matter. Some how it does not seem plausible that trading Pollard will lead to the intended result.
Any trade in exchange for Israel negotiating in good faith (i.e. stop building settlements on Palestinian territories) I think would be pointless. What makes the US think that this exchange would stop the building?
On the other hand, it’s been thirty years so he’s served his time. I wonder if “country arrest” in Israel could be made part of his parole conditions. Allow Israel to have him but require that Israel not issue him a passport so he can’t leave Israel.
One would think that by this point that any information Pollard had would be historical at best.
As some who grew up during the Cold War when we traded captured spies all the time, this is not a big deal.
Veronica – Israel’s issues are military not religious. If the countries surrounding Israel would recognize their existence, Israel could move back to its original borders. Given the constant attacks on Israel, I do not begrudge them taking the high ground. They would be idiots to give it back.
dagda, If the Israelis had US spies in prison, THEN it would be normal for a prisoner exchange. Absent that, there is no reason for this since releasing him would only stimulate more spying on the behalf of other countries if the spies knew that they would eventually get out and collect their millions.
I see that you are not up on recent history either. There are only two neighboring countries which do not recognized Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. Gaza is effectively another “state” which has declared war on Israel, so I can care less what happens to the people there. I am all in favor of the IDF blowing up Hamas anytime any place. They are not an existential threat to Israel, nor are any of the other Arab states and to use the external threat is absurd for any justification for keeping the West Bank people under occupation. Once the situation in Syria stabilizes, and presumably Assad gets control back, it might be possible to get peace with Syria too.
randyjet,
I am open to learn. Please name all the countries surrounding Israel who have recognized it. Don’t include Egypt because they are dithering right now.
dagda, I guess you have never heard of or do not recognize Jordan since many rightwing Israelis consider it to be part of Israel. By the way, Saudi Arabia has offered to recognize Israel if they actually allow a real Palastinian state.
Currently there are two Arab states that recognize Israel and one of those is dithering. I did miss Jordan, thanks for reminding me. 🙂
I would be more sympathetic to this if Israel would grant the SAME compensation that Pollard is getting to the surviving crew members and their families of the USS Liberty who were intentionally blasted out of their lives by Israel. In the interest of decency, I would say that Pollard’s millions that are waiting for him be part of the compensation given to the USS Liberty survivors. I would hope that Kerry would make this part of the settlements if he wishes to use Pollard as a bargaining chip.
We should tell Israel to go to hell and cut off everything. I trust them as much as I would Russia or China?
Allies? Please. My ass they are our allies. They are parasites.
“Also, holding the spy in prison helps prevent the foreign government from interviewing him/her and obtaining the classified information”
You would thing so, Darren, but not when Israel is the spy master involved. Netanyahu himself was granted a visit with Pollard around 2003, as I recall.
One would think that peace IS what Israel would want BUT there are factions within the Jewish community that believe they are entitled to certain territories and they will continue to fight for their perceived ‘rights’ even if it leads to a world war ! These attitudes can be attributed to religious beliefs of course – there is nothing like feeling you have “God on your side” is there?
The rest of the world’s safety and happiness is not under consideration !
Religion truly is the scourge of the planet when it is out of control !
I have Jewish heritage but I am not blind to the human nonsense cooked up to rationalize theft of other’s homes and land.
I have different views on the spy issue (This does not involve Edward Snowden)
For those who are US gov’t employees who act at the behest, and compensation by, foreign governments against the United States should not be used as bargaining chips for geopolitics.
Spies who are agents of foreign governments in the sense they are actually citizens of that nation or members of a spy agency in my view are a little more akin to being of a status similar to soldiers in service for that gov’t military. They are in a sense different than traitors. I can see political bargaining between them, say to release a KGB spy in exchange for a CIA spy. I agree there should be a deterrance factor to spying against the US involving prison time if caught, in that it deters a segment of a foreign population from offering theselves for recruitment or that foreign governments are disrupted in operations for fear of their employees being imprisoned. Also, holding the spy in prison helps prevent the foreign government from interviewing him/her and obtaining the classified information
The latter example for me is better suited for trades than the first.
The number of politicians from both sides of the Aisle that have been pushing for Pollards release over the course of many years is yet another disheartening, all too obvious sign of the power Israel holds in this country. I am forced to say “this country” as opposed to “our country”. Pollard’s release will solve nothing.