The US Plays Dirty Pool With Jonathan Pollard
By Jock L. Falkson
There is something inhuman about the continued solitary confinement of Jonathan Pollard in jail for spying. He has been serving a life sentence in solitary confinement these past 25 years.
Pollard has suffered longer than any other US convicted spy even though his 25 year old sin did not hurt America in any serious way – despite Secretary of State Weinberger`s dire warning to the judge that it could and would. It was his personal letter to the judge which resulted in Pollard being sentenced to life. It was a punishment never before inflicted on any spy โโ even those who caused the death of American spies.
In fact the US has never produced a single instance of the dire circumstances which Weinberger so angrily threatened would happen, during these 25 years! Indeed Weinberger has since admitted that “the Pollard matter was comparatively minor. It was made far bigger tha its actual importance.” And former CIA Director James Woolsey Defense Secretary too has opined that Pollard’s punishment is excessive.
Former U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary, Lawrence Korb too has stated that “the severity of Pollard’s sentence is the result of an almost visceral dislike of Israel and the special place it occupies.”
Not many know that Pollard was offered a special deal after his arrest for consenting to assist the US government in its damage assessment. Pollard agreed to the deal and cooperated with the Government’s investigation in every way over a period of several months. He submitted to all the required polygraph examinations in interviews with FBI agents and Department of Justice attorneys.
Pollard`s statement that he never spied against the US and only gave Israel documents which exposed the machinations of the surrounding Arab countries, proved to be true. He had only given Israel documents which the US had not shared – contrary to an understanding between the two nations.
Yet, in a bare faced turnaround worthy of the worst lying conman, the US shamefully, and without compunction, reneged on its sacred word.
Moreover, Israel was compelled to issue a statement that it would never again spy in the US. The US never offered to reciprocate this undertaking. Only the naรฏve will believe that the US, with the hundreds of employees in its huge office building in Tel Aviv โโ does not employ a large cadre of intelligence officers to spy on Israel. How long, I wonder, will we have to wait for the U.S. to offer that they will stop spying on Israel? And to further promise that they will not again do so?
Haifa Universitys Prof. Steven Plaut has just released an article drawing attention to the anomaly that WIkileaks Julian Assuage, has released hundreds of thousands of classified US intelligence documents. All are available to the worst enemies of the United States and the West yet Assuage enjoys unfettered freedom, while Pollard who only released hundreds, continues to be incarcerated in solitary, without mercy or justice.
Shame on the US.