January 29, 2014
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=4960
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American Jews are experiencing a
nightmare. They are finally accepting the reality that the draconian
treatment of Jonathan Pollard emanates from anti-Semitic strains in the
US Intelligence hierarchy. Some had believed this to be the case for
some time, but with additional convincing evidence, the realization is
rapidly gaining ground.
American former naval
intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard is no hero. He is a convicted spy.
He may have provided valuable intelligence to Israel relevant to the
Gulf War, but was remunerated for his actions.
One can appreciate the outrage
of American intelligence authorities against an American Jew spying for
Israel. However, Pollard’s punishment grossly exceeds his crime.
Pollard entered a plea bargain
agreement which would have effectively limited his sentence to a maximum
of ten years but this was effectively reneged by the judge. Pollard is
now serving his 29th year in prison – seven of which were in solitary
confinement.
Israel is an ally, not an enemy
of the US. There is no precedent for any other spy in the US undergoing
such harsh treatment in the post-World War ll era. Those convicted of
espionage on behalf of US allies like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the
Philippines served two to four year prison terms.
The moral outrage US
intelligence spokesmen express about Pollard spying on allies rings
hollow, particularly following recent exposures that the US itself has
the most consistent track record of espionage against allies of any
Western country, including Israel.
In recent months, American
political leaders, including retired Intelligence heads, have created a
groundswell of wide-ranging, bipartisan political support for commuting
Pollard’s sentence. This has been to no avail.
In response to calls to free
Pollard, the New York Times this month prominently published an
emotional and jaundiced op-ed by M. E. Bowman (click here for link),
a former FBI deputy counsel who had coordinated the investigation
against Pollard, urging that he remain incarcerated. Aside from numerous
falsehoods and distortions, Bowman failed to distinguish between
Pollard’s espionage against an ally and that of American traitors like
Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen who received life sentences for
conveying information to the Soviet Union which led to the execution of
numerous American intelligence agents.
To bolster his case, Bowman
made an unsubstantiated allegation that Pollard was also responsible for
the deaths of American agents. He based this on a fantasy that Israel
conveyed information obtained from Pollard to the Soviet Union in order
to gain concessions towards easing Jewish emigration restrictions. This
disgusting potpourri of concocted rumors and lies is surely indicative
of the determination of those within the American intelligence community
who wish to make an example of Pollard in order to intimidate the
Jewish community. Nor is it coincidental that the “liberal” New York
Times saw fit to publish such an illiberal, bigoted and unsubstantiated
article at this time.
In response to the op-ed, Tablet, a respected American online magazine dealing with Jewish life, published an editorial (click here for link)
that breaks new ground on the Pollard debate. It explicitly accuses the
U.S government of anti- Semitism and discrimination against the Jewish
community.
The editorial accused the
national security establishment of using the Pollard case to challenge
the loyalty of Jews in order to cover up their own “incredibly damaging
mistakes and failures”. It asserts: “Pollard’s continued incarceration
appears, at this point in time, to be intended as a statement that dual
loyalty on the part of American Jews is a real threat to America – and a
warning to the American Jewish community as a whole.”
Tablet
called on Jewish leaders to stand up against this “real injustice,
whose perpetuation is clearly intended to suggest that all American Jews
are, inherently, potential traitors to their country”. It insists that
“allowing the American national security establishment to play on
classic anti-Semitic stereotypes in order to keep a man in prison as a
’lesson’ to other members of his groups or race is contrary to both the
spirit and letter of the U.S. Constitution – and would surely and
rightly never be tolerated by Muslims, gays, blacks, Chinese-Americans,
or any other group.”
Furthermore the editorial
accuses the American Jewish establishment of having failed to
aggressively confront this issue because of its reluctance to be
associated with a convicted traitor. This “metastasized into a real
threat to the promise of legal and social equality that American Jews
now take for granted.”
Tablet
insisted that by confining the Pollard case to a strictly humanitarian
issue and merely appealing for a commutation of the sentence, Jewish
leaders had “given an unwitting stamp of communal acquiescence to the
message of suspicion that Pollard’s punishment is intended to convey…
The business as usual attitude of the American Jewish leaders has
legitimized a noxious brand of political anti-Semitism which is being
adopted by parts of the US political establishment – as well as by
journalists, [and] academics… The injustice that is being done to
Pollard pales next to this very deliberate injustice being done to
American Jews by high-ranking US government officials in Pollard’s
name”. In other words the Pollard issue should be based on demands for
justice rather than compassionate or humanitarian appeals.
There is no disputing that
successive Israeli governments have grossly mishandled the issue,
initially denying that it was their problem and falsely describing
Pollard’s actions as a “rogue” operation. Now there are disturbing
allegations that US Secretary of State John Kerry has hinted that
Pollard’s release could be expedited if Israel makes additional
unilateral concessions to the Palestinians.
The obscene implications of
this are magnified, given the extraordinary pressure which Kerry exerted
on Israel to release 104 mass murderers to induce the Palestinians to
even agree to conduct negotiations. Hopefully Israeli leaders will
adamantly distance themselves from enabling the Americans to exploit
Pollard as a pawn in the extortion game with the Palestinians.
For the first time, Jewish
leaders are now being called upon to confront the painful anti-Semitic
motivations of those engaged in the ongoing incarceration of Pollard.
Admittedly, the pressures confronting the American Jewish establishment
are intensifying. Presenting the case for Israel and opposing the
nuclearization of Iran has already created major tensions with the Obama
administration.
But the Pollard issue can no
longer be set aside, for it shakes American Jews’ core beliefs that the
American Diaspora is unique and that the US is the only country in the
world, other than Israel, in which Jews can genuinely feel “at home” and
are always treated as equal citizens.
As the insinuations of dual
loyalty become ever shriller, Jewish leaders need to review the
situation and develop a strategy which will be consistent with justice
and retaining their Jewish way of life in conformity with the
multi-pluralism of American society.
The Pollard case goes far
beyond the issue of commuting an excessive sentence meted against a
Jewish spy. Its outcome will impact on the essence of the relationship
between the American-Jewish community and broader American society.
The writer’s website can be viewed at www.wordfromjerusalem.com.He may be contacted at ileibler@leibler.com
This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom
Some of my recent articles:
The “Price Tag” Crimes Must be Dealt With Now (January 22, 2014)
Foreign Minister Lieberman cannot act as a Maverick (January 16, 2014)
An Open Letter to Secretary of State John Kerry (January 8, 2014)
Bayit Yehudi Cannot Remain Silent Over Rabbi Druckman (January 2, 2014)
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