23 Years and 6,311 Rockets

Shmuel Sackett - Manhigut Yehudit - December 1, 2007

A few weeks ago, the State of Israel commemorated two very sad anniversaries. On November 21st Jonathan Pollard began his

23rd year in prison

and on that same day the 6,311th rocket fell on the Israeli city of Sderot.

23 years in prison. 6,311 rockets. Is there a connection?

There most certainly is and you don't have to open your eyes too wide to see it. The reality of the connection between these two events is right in front of us. Simply put, the government of Israel wants Jonathan Pollard to remain in jail and that same government wants the Arab enemy to shower Sderot with rockets.

Yes, I realize what I just wrote and to make certain it was understood, I will write it again in even clearer words: The Israeli government wants Jonathan Pollard to die in jail (G-d forbid). Not only is it not doing anything to help him, it is actually hurting him!

A similar claim can be made about Sderot. The government is not just allowing the rockets to fall -- it is actually helping the terrorists manufacture them!

Think I'm nuts? (Hey, don't answer that!) Consider the following:

A few weeks ago, after 100 rockets were fired into Sderot over a three-day period, the Israeli government ordered an electricity blackout in the area of Gaza from where the rockets were shot. It must be stated that the State of Israel supplies the electricity -- free of charge -- to Gaza and was therefore able to quickly "shut the switch". The formula was simple; No electricity -- no rockets. For two days there was quiet. Not one rocket was fired! Normal life began once again for the men, women and children of Sderot.

On the third day, the Israeli government changed its mind. The official statement was that this method represented a horrible concept called "communal punishment", since several "innocent" Gazans were negatively affected by the electricity blackout. Prime Minister Olmert immediately ordered the electricity turned back on. The Arab response was simple; within one hour - five rockets were fired on Sderot!

Let's take this even one step further. Every one of these rockets is made from metal and home-made materials such as flour, water and sugar. Most people reading this article make delicious cakes and cookies from these ingredients (minus the metal, of course) but Arabs in Gaza use these everyday ingredients to manufacture bombs and kill Jews.

Now comes the $64,000 question: Where do the Arabs of Gaza get those ingredients from? Answer: From Israel!!! That's right -- WE give them the raw materials when we know full well that a significant part of them will be used to manufacture rockets and wreak havoc on thousands of Jewish lives! We give them everything they need and then supply the electricity to the factory to build them. This is not a crazy "conspiracy" theory. It is 100% true. Feel free to check it out, if you don't believe me.

The same is true with Jonathan Pollard. Two top ministers in the Israeli government, Ehud Barak and Rafi Eitan, were directly involved in the Pollard affair and those men do not want him out. Neither does President Shimon Peres who runs around the entire world meeting with global leaders to discuss everything under the sun except the name "Pollard". And of course, neither does Prime Minister Olmert who -- in a measure of "good faith" - released over 500 terrorists since he took office but never once thought of asking Bush to release Pollard.

These words were spoken by Jonathan Pollard himself in a November 2007 interview given to Israel's largest newspaper, Yediot Aharonot. The interview was conducted by journalist Yaniv Halily who raised the following point; "All of the American officials that I spoke with asked, 'How is it that Israel is not taking any meaningful action to free the agent who worked on behalf of the State and in its name? How can the State abandon a man who risked his life to save the lives of Israeli citizens?"

The article continues; "Pollard feels this way as well. 'There are people and institutions in Israel that are trying to save their own blood by spilling mine. We are talking about people who were thoroughly involved in my operation. If I were returned home they would be very embarrassed and perhaps find themselves subject to legal action. I am talking about politicians who have denied involvement in the espionage operation, when they knew every single detail of it. People like Shimon Peres, Rafi Eitan, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert have a personal agenda against me. They resent the embarrassment that I caused Israel and are furious that I am still alive."

As you can see, to these "leaders", Jonathan Pollard is a nuisance and they would love nothing more than to have the whole affair permanently forgotten.

Unfortunately, however, this deletion of Pollard extends way beyond Peres and Olmert. For the last month, several people in New Jersey tried scheduling a speaking engagement for me in Teaneck on November 21st -- the anniversary of Pollard's incarceration. The goal was to speak about Pollard and find out what could be done to help this heroic Jew. Three Orthodox synagogues in Teaneck responded that the event was "too political". In one of those cases, the Rabbi agreed to hold the event, only to have it cancelled by the board of directors. When the Rabbi called to inform us of the change he apologized profusely, admitted his embarrassment and bewilderment but said there was simply nothing he could do.

An evening to help Jonathan Pollard was "too political"??? How sad!

Dearest friends, we are in trouble. When the weak, un-Jewish concepts that have plagued Israeli leaders for 50 years begin creeping into our local synagogues, Heaven help us!

This must be stopped now! Don't sit quietly while your leaders set you on a course for destruction. Don't believe the lies from Olmert and Peres about how they are trying to stop the rockets but cannot. Don't become sheep who follow leaders blindly and accept everything they are told. Need I remind you of the many leaders who told their followers and students to remain in Europe in the 1940's and that everything would be ok? Don't make the same mistake they did!

Demand answers from your leaders. Demand that they explain their hypocritical behavior. Demand to know why after 23 painful years the name "Jonathan Pollard" is still virtually non-existent. Demand to know why Arab leaders are proud of their heritage, are never willing to compromise and never forget their prisoners while Jewish leaders are weak, embarrassed of their heavenly mission and quick to leave the fallen behind.

Shmuel Sackett is the International Director of Manhigut Yehudit, Jewish Leadership Faction of the Likud Party.


  • See Also: Our Man in America: Feature Interview with Jonathan Pollard:
    Yaniv Halily - Yediot Achronot: EnglishHebrew