News

DATE=1/19/99 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-42393 TITLE=ISRAEL / POLLARD BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST DATELINE=JERUSALEM CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: ISRAEL HAS RENEWED ITS APPEALS TO THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION FOR CLEMENCY FOR CONVICTED ISRAELI SPY JONATHAN POLLARD. PRESIDENT CLINTON IS CONDUCTING A REVIEW OF THE CONTROVERSIAL CASE THIS WEEK. VOA'S DAVID GOLLUST REPORTS FROM JERUSALEM. TEXT: ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY THEY DO NOT HAVE HIGH HOPES THAT PRESIDENT CLINTON WILL FREE JONATHAN POLLARD OUTRIGHT. BUT THEY DO SAY A STRONG CASE CAN BE MADE ON BOTH LEGAL AND HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS FOR REDUCING HIS LIFE PRISON SENTENCE TO A FINITE TERM. THE FORMER U-S NAVY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST PLEADED GUILTY IN 1986 TO CHARGES OF PASSING THOUSANDS OF SECRET DOCUMENTS TO ISRAEL, MUCH OF IT HIGHLY SENSITIVE MATERIAL ON THE MILITARY CAPABILITIES OF ARAB COUNTRIES AND WARSAW PACT. POLLARD -- AN AMERICAN JEW -- INITIATED THE SPY RELATIONSHIP, WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HERE INITIALLY DISAVOWED AS A ROGUE OPERATION BY MID-LEVEL ISRAELI OFFICIALS. BUT ISRAELI SPOKESMAN MOSHE FOGEL SAYS ISRAEL HAS SINCE ADMITTED ITS CULPABILITY IN THE CASE AND APOLOGIZED TO ITS MAIN ALLY, AND THAT POLLARD, JAILED NOW FOR NEARLY 14 YEARS, SHOULD BE GIVEN THE HOPE OF EVENTUAL RELEASE: ///FOGEL ACTUALITY/// WE'VE TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY AS THE GOVERNMENT FOR HIS ACTIONS. IN OTHER WORDS HIS ACTIONS WERE NOT SOLELY HIS RESPONSIBILITY. AND THEREFORE WE BELIEVE THAT MISTAKES WERE MADE, BUT THAT HE SHOULD NOT PAY THE PRICE FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. AND THAT OUT OF HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATIONS, HIS PERIOD IN JAIL SHOULD BE SETTLED AT A SPECIFIC TIMETABLE AND NOT LIFE IN PRISON. ///END ACT/// BUT A REDUCTION IN SENTENCE FOR POLLARD IS STRONGLY OPPOSED BY THE U-S INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY AND THOSE WHO PROSECUTED THE CASE. AND 60 MEMBERS OF THE SENATE WROTE PRESIDENT CLINTON LAST WEEK TO URGE THAT HE REMAIN BEHIND BARS. U-S INTELLIGENCE SOURCES HAVE BEEN QUOTED AS SAYING POLLARD GAVE ISRAEL CRITICAL MATERIAL, INCLUDING ENCRYPTION MANUALS THAT EVENTUALLY FOUND THEIR WAY TO THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND MAY HAVE COST THE LIVES OF RUSSIAN INFORMANTS FOR THE UNITED STATES. HOWEVER POLLARD'S LAWYER IN ISRAEL, LARRY DUB, TOLD V-O-A HIS CLIENT IS THE VICTIM OF OF A VICIOUS ATTACK BY A U-S SPY COMMUNITY WHICH IS TRYING TO TRANSFER TO POLLARD BLAME FOR ITS FAILINGS IN THE 1980S: ///DUB ACTUALITY/// THE FACTS ARE VERY, VERY CLEAR. MR. POLLARD WAS CHARGED WITH ONE COUNT, AND I EMPHASIZE ONE COUNT, OF PASSING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION TO AN ALLY, ISRAEL. HE'S BEING ACCUSED OF BEING A TRAITOR, TREASON, HARMING THE UNITED STATES. ALL OF THAT IS NONSENSE, BECAUSE IF ANY OF THE ALLEGATIONS HAD ANY SCINTILLA OF EVIDENCE, ALL OF THESE FACTORS WOULD HAVE COME OUT IN MR. POLLARD'S TRIAL. THE FACT REMAINS THAT MR. POLLARD IS THE ONLY PERSON IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN A LIFE SENTENCE FOR A CRIME THAT NORMALLY CARRIES A TWO TO FOUR-YEAR TERM. ///END ACT/// PRESIDENT CLINTON HAS TURNED DOWN CLEMENCY FOR POLLARD TWICE BEFORE. HE AGREED TO EXAMINE THE CASE AGAIN LAST OCTOBER AFTER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU -- IN A CONTROVERSIAL MOVE -- TRIED TO GET POLLARD FREED IN LAST-MINUTE BARGAINING OVER THE WYE RIVER PEACE ACCORD WITH THE PALESTINIANS. // OPT // IN A LETTER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON OVER THE WEEKEND, MR. NETANYAHU SAID THE POLLARD AFFAIR HAS DRIVEN A WEDGE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS AND THAT IS TIME TO PUT WHAT HE CALLED "THIS UNFORTUNATE CHAPTER" BEHIND US. // END OPT // THE ISSUE GENERATED FURTHER CONTROVERSY IN ISRAEL WHEN IT WAS DISCLOSED THAT LABOR PARTY LEADER EHUD BARAK -- MR. NETANYAHU'S MAIN ELECTION RIVAL -- HAD REFUSED TO SIGN A JOINT APPEAL TO THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION BY ISRAELI POLITICAL LEADERS THAT POLLARD'S PRISON SENTENCE BE REDUCED TO TIME ALREADY SERVED. MR. BARAK, WHO SAYS HE FAVORS QUIET DIPLOMACY ON THE ISSUE, ACCUSED MR. NETANYAHU OF DAMAGING POLLARD'S CAUSE BY EXPLOITING HIM FOR POLITICAL GAIN IN ADVANCE OF THE ISRAEL VOTING IN MAY. // REST OPT // WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS HAVE SAID MR. CLINTON IS UNLIKELY TO ANNOUNCE A DECISION ON POLLARD IMMEDIATELY, GIVEN THE ISRAEL ELECTION AND HIS OWN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL IN THE SENATE. (SIGNED) NEB/DAG/PCF 19-Jan-99 9:48 AM EST (1448 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .