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Jonathan Pollard: A Jewish American Hero
Jonathan Pollard was born in America on August 7, 1954. He first studied history and philosophy at Stanford University (California), then Law at Notre Dame University (Indiana).
Pollard later accepted a job offer in the American intelligence services as a civilian Navy Intelligence Officer. In this context, he dealt with classified information concerning Israel's security such as activities of Arab countries and terrorist groups hostile to Israel. Despite a Convention of Reciprocity between the United States and Israel, certain information vital to Israeli security was being withheld by the United States. Pollard considered he had a moral duty to warn Israel of the threat to its security. Pollard wrote, "I'd rather be rotting in prison than sitting "shiva" for the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who could have died because of my cowardice." In 1985, Jonathan Pollard was arrested and condemned to a life sentence without any possibility of parole for espionage in favor of Israel. Many voices, including thousands of American lawyers and jurists, have denounced this unusually harsh sentence. The median sentence for spying for an ally is 2-4 years. On November 21, 2004, Jonathan Pollard entered the 20th year of his life sentence, with no end in sight CLICK HERE to Listen to
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner
CLICK HERE to Listen to The Facts of Jonathan Pollard's Case
(from www.jonathanpollard.org) 1.Jonathan Pollard was a civilian Navy intelligence analyst who, in the mid-1980s, discovered that information vital to Israel's security was being deliberately withheld by certain elements within the American Administration. 2.Israel was legally entitled to this vital security information according to a 1983 Letter of Understanding between herself and the United States. 3.This information related to Syrian and Iraqi poison gas production and nuclear capabilities being developed for use against Israel, as well as planned terrorist attacks against Israeli civilian targets. 4.When Pollard discovered this suppression of information and asked his superiors about it, he was told to "mind his own business", and that "Jews get nervous talking about poison gas; they don't need to know." 5.Pollard, who knew Israeli lives were being put in jeopardy as a result of this conspiracy, did everything he could think of to have the illegal embargo stopped and the flow of information restored. When his efforts met no success, he began to give the information to Israel directly. 6.Jonathan Pollard was an ideologue, not a mercenary. The FBI concluded after nine months of polygraphing that Pollard acted for ideological reasons only, not for profit. This fact was recognized by the sentencing judge. (See the addendum for further details.) 7.In 1985, his actions were discovered by the U.S. government. His instructions were to seek refuge in the Israeli embassy in Washington. 8.When Pollard and his former wife sought refuge in the Israeli Embassy, they were at first received and then summarily thrown out into the waiting arms of the F.B.I. 9.Jonathan Pollard never had a trial. At the request of the U.S. Government, Pollard entered into a plea agreement, which he spared the U.S. a long, difficult, expensive and potentially embarrassing trial. 10.Pollard fulfilled his end of the plea agreement, cooperating fully with the prosecution. 11.Nevertheless, Pollard received a life sentence and a recommendation that he never be paroled, as the government violated every clause of the plea agreement. 12.Prior to sentencing, the then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger delivered a long letter to the sentencing judge, in which he falsely accused Pollard of being a traitor and demanded the maximum sentence allowable. 13.Pollard was never charged with treason, only with one count of passing classified information to an ally. 14.No one else in the history of the United States has ever received a life sentence for passing classified information to an ally. 15.Even agents who have given information to enemy nations did not receive such a heavy sentence. 16.Pollard appealed, but his appeal was rejected on a technicality: that it had not been filed on time. Judge Williams wrote a minority opinion, calling the majority decision "a complete and gross miscarriage of justice." 17.Jonathan Pollard was never indicted for harming the United States. This is a separate charge and there is no evidence to support such a charge. 18.Jonathan Pollard is now an Israeli citizen, who wishes only to
lead a quiet, private life.
On November 21, 2004, Jonathan Pollard entered the 20th year of his life sentence, with no end in sight
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