Tzvi Ben
Gedalyahu
ARUTZ SHEVA
Dennis Ross, former
President Bill Clinton’s chief advisor for the Oslo Accords, writes in his new
book that he advised Clinton to keep Jonathan Pollard in jail as political
barter even though he thought his life prison sentence was not
justified.
Ross also referred to Pollard as a “spy” despite his not
having been convicted for espionage. Pollard was guilty of passing on to
Israel classified information, an offense that usually carries a punishment of
approximately two years in jail.
Excerpts from the book “The Missing
Peace,” cited by the Justice for Jonathan Pollard organization, include Ross’
relating conversations he had with Clinton, who told him that Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wanted Pollard's release in return for
concessions in the Wye Agreeement with Yasser Arafat.
Ross wrote,
“Pollard, while working as a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy,
had spied for Israel, sharing highly classified materials.”
Several
pages later, Ross unapologetically admitted his role in keeping Pollard in
prison.
He wrote that after Clinton approached at Wye for a private
conversation, “I assumed that he wanted to talk about where my private
discussions stood with Bibi and [Palestinian Authority official Mahmoud]
Dahlan…. He wanted to talk about releasing Jonathan Pollard."
"’Is it a
big political issue in Israel? Will it help Bibi?’
"’Yes,’ I replied,
because he is considered a soldier for Israel and ‘there is an ethos in Israel
that you never leave a soldier behind in the field.’ But if you want my
advice, I continued, I would not release him now.
"’It would be a huge
payoff for Bibi; you don't have many like this in your pocket. I would save it
for permanent status. You will need it later, don't use it now.’”
Ross
also wrote that he was in favor of freeing Pollard because “he had received a
harsher sentence than others who had committed comparable crimes“ and that he
“preferred not tying his release to any agreement.”
However, politics
overcame humanitarian concerns. “If that was what we were going to do," he
added, "then I favored saving it for permanent status.”
Clinton told
Ross he was pessimistic about solving the stalemate in the “peace process” and
that, according to Ross, “I don't think we can afford to wait, and if Pollard
is the key to getting it done now, we should do it."
An agreement
between Israel and the Palestinian Authority never was achieved. The Oslo
Accords literally blew up two years later with the beginning of the Second
Intifada, also known as the Oslo War. Pollard remains in prison.
Ross’
book also substantiates statements by Netanyahu that he did everything
possible to release Pollard at the Wye talks. The book also reveals the
American government's disregard of Netanyahu.
Clinton “told me Bibi
wasn't going to sign the deal unless he released Pollard,” Ross wrote. “He
said he'd made concessions on the prisoners based on the assumption that he
would have Pollard and on that basis could sell prisoners, indeed, could sell
the whole deal…"
“The President then asked what he should do. I asked
him. ‘Did you make a commitment to release Pollard? If you did, you have to
release him.’ The President swore he had made no promises…. I then said, if
you did not make a promise to him, you should not give in to
this.
"’This is Bibi's problem and it is not tenable. Is he going to
forgo a deal that enhances Israel's security, breaks the stalemate on peace,
and gives the process a major push so he can have Pollard? That is not
sustainable in Israel. He can't do it, and you can't give in to
this…"
"Look, I know Bibi wants this and probably believes he needs
this, but he can't forgo the deal over Pollard. This is a bluff and you have
to call it."
Netanyahu finally relented, accepting a promise from
Clinton that he would “review” the Pollard case.
Ross also wrote that
he made a mistake at Wye – but not on Pollard. He referred to his allowing a
misunderstanding over a compromise on Israel’s releasing more terrorists “with
blood on their hands.”
No comments:
Post a Comment