Uri Ariel: US Keeps Pollard in Jail and Demands We Free Killers

The US has kept Pollard in jail for 28 years. The same US is twisting Israel's arm to free more than 80 terrorists, and Minister Uri Ariel, understandably, cannot understand the American mind.

Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu - The Jewish Press - July 21, 2013


"What is going on in the minds of Americans when they insist on keeping Jonathan Pollard in prison and demand that Israel free terrorists" who have murdered Jews, Housing Minister Uri Ariel asked on Voice of Israel Sunday. "It really is amazing."

Pollard has been in jail, despite ill health, for 28 years for the crime of passing on classified information on behalf of Israel when he worked for the Pentagon. He is the onlyAmerican ever to be sentenced to life in prison for the offense, which usually bears a prison term of 2-4 years.

Pollard has been in jail, despite ill health, for 28 years for the crime of passing on classified information on behalf of Israel when he worked for the Pentagon. He is the only person ever to be sentenced to life in prison for the offense, which usually bears a prison term of 2-4 years.

Jewish Press editor Yori Yanover wrote on Friday, "Israel is giving in on the release of Palestinian prisoners with Jewish blood on their hands. 'There will be some release of prisoners,' said Minister of Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz. 'I don't want to give numbers but there will be heavyweight prisoners who have been in jail for tens of years.'"

In case anyone as sleeping with the bears in hibernation at the time, Israel has freed thousands of terrorists and security prisoners for dead bodies and most recently for the return of one live body - kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.

Since the 1000-for-1 exchange two years ago, dozens of the freed Palestinian Authority Arabs have returned to terror.

Previous releases of terrorists have resulted in more than 120 murders of Jews in Israel by the same Palestinian Authority "resistance fighters.

But their suicide bombings do not compare with the gravity of Pollard's crime. If not, why would the American judicial system - which of course is fairer, more modern and more sophisticated than the process in primitive Israel - keep Pollard in jail for life?

Pollard's crime is obviously so heinous that he was not even allowed to attend the funeral of his father in 2011. Nor was he allowed to leave his cell to attend the funeral of his mother 10 years earlier.

The American government really is not hard-hearted. Officials actually allowed Pollard to call his father a week before his death. His father was too weak to speak on the telephone but so what? That's not the government's fault.

Leading American politicians who were in office at the time that Pollard was sentenced have come forth in the past three years to admit that he did not receive a fair trial and that he was unfairly punished.

Israel, cited every year by the U.S. State Dept. for human rights violations, is apparently ready to free more than 80 terrorists, who have visiting privileges, who received "salaries" from the Palestinian Authority for their previous success in killing Jews, and who are paid by Israel to learn in university.

Israel perhaps could learn something from the United States, but that will have to wait because U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry needs direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to save his face.

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