Deliberate Media Leak Damns Pollard

Jewish Press (NY) Editorial - April 21, 2000

Last Thursday, Yediot Acharonot reported that "sources closest to Barak" have indicated that President Clinton is prepared to release Jonathan Pollard as a "sweetener" to help the Prime Minister sell the Israeli public on a deal with the Palestinians, which will include the release of Palestinian murderers of Jews as demanded by the Palestinians.

Of course, this could be true, but we rather doubt it. We have seen this movie before. It will be recalled that as part of the Wye negotiations, President Clinton supposedlyagreed to Pollard's release, but when the story was leaked a wall of congressional and intelligence community opposition emerged and the plan was scotched.

If there was any lesson to be learned from that fiasco, it was that premature leaking of such news can only ensure that it does not happen, and this could not have been lost on Messers. Clinton and Barak. Of course it could be that a deal was indeed in the works between the two and someone opposed to it purposely set out to derail it. [N.B. the leakers are identified as "Barak's closest sources".]

But what stands out is the apparent continuing manipulation of the plight of a Jew who was betrayed by the judicial system and who languishes in a federal prison under a Draconian sentence for spying for the Jewish State.