Mayor Nir Barkat to Miami Mega Mission: Take the message home, free Pollard now!

Justice4JPnews - April 24, 2012

[Jerusalem] Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat, speakinging to 700 participants of the Miami Jewish Federation's Miami Mega Mission Israel 2012 at at Kikar Safra tonight, forcefully called for the release of Jonathan Pollard and was met with thunderous applause.

Speaking to a full house, Barkat said: "Many people throughout the world find it difficult to understand the supreme value that the State of Israel places on a single human life. Jonathan Pollard is not an enemy of the United States and neither are we. I want to ask you as decent human beings to go back to the US and relay this humanitarian message in support of Jonathan's release."

His words were greeted warmly with strong applause. The mayor's message in support of Pollard was echoed by other speakers at the event as well, among them by former Israeli Consul of Miami, Offer Bavli. Barkat's appeal to the Miami crowd follows in the wake of President Shimon Peres' personal, official appeal to President Obama for the release of Jonathan Pollard.

All the streams of Religious Jewish organizations in the US (Orthodox, Reform and Conservative) have issued statements this week in support of President Peres' appeal. A petition signed by close to 50,000 Israelis calls on President Peres to secure the release of Jonathan Pollard before accepting the US Medal of Freedom which President Obama is due to award to Peres at a special ceremony on June 13th.