Former Hostages, P.O.W.s, & Prisoners of Zion Appeal for Pollard

Released on November 21, 2004

Translated from Hebrew
[Click here to see the Hebrew original in PDF format.]

November 17, 2004 (4 Kislev 5765) B"H

To Prime Minister Ariel Sharon:

Re: November 21, 2004 (Chet Kislev)- Jonathan Pollard begins 20th Year of incarceration

Shalom rav!

We the Piduay Shevi, (Redeemed Hostages/P.O.W.s); the Assirei Machteret (Prisoners of the Underground); and former Asserei Tzion (Prisoners of Zion) who have been imprisoned and held captive because of our actions on behalf of the State of Israel, identify with and want to express our support for Jonathan Pollard. On November 21, 2004 (Chet Kislev) Pollard will enter his 20th year of a life sentence for his activities on behalf of Israel.

As you are aware, Mr. Prime Minister, Jonathan Pollard is serving the longest, harshest sentence in the history of the United States of anyone who was ever charged with a similar offense, spying for an ally. The median sentence for this offense is 2 to 4 years, with some receiving no jail time at all. Pollard, a Jew, who worked on behalf of the Jewish State, is the only person in the history of the U.S. to receive a life sentence for this offense.

The State of Israel has never protested Jonathan's grossly disproportionate sentence or his harsh treatment. As his continued incarceration proves, Israel has done little or nothing for the last 2 decades to bring him home.

As you are also well aware Mr. Prime Minister, in response to lawsuits filed in Israel's Supreme Court by Jonathan Pollard, the Government of Israel finally stopped the denials and granted Jonathan Pollard Citizenship in 1995 and recognized him as a bona fide Israeli agent in 1998. [See official document attached.] These major changes in Jonathan's official status were tools and opportunities for the Government of Israel to secure Jonathan's immediate release, the same way that it did for our agents who were captured in Switzerland, in Jordan, in Cyprus, and most recently in New Zealand. Unfortunately the Government of Israel chose not to act on behalf of Pollard in the same intensive way, and on November 21, 2004 he will enter his 20th year of incarceration for his activities on behalf of the Jewish State.

As Prime Minister, it is incumbent upon you to do whatever is necessary to bring Jonathan Pollard home at once, and thus end the humiliation and degradation of the People of Israel. We urge you to immediately activate the Ministry of Defense and to implement all the necessary resources to secure the release of Jonathan Pollard that you recently expended to bring Elchanan Tanenbaum home. We urge you to take immediate and serious steps so that Pollard can be home in the Land with his wife and his People in plenty of time to light Chanukah Candles as a free man. As the Prime Minister of Israel whose legal and moral obligation it is to rescue an Israeli agent in peril, you can do no less.

Respectfully yours,

Signed:

Assirei Machteret (Former Prisoners of the Underground Organizations)

Signing on behalf of their respective groups or organizations:

Tuvia Chen Tzion

- Head of the Lechi Fighters Group (Amutah)

Avraham Ben-Har

- Representative of Lechi Fighters Condemned to Death

Yitzchak Even-Zohar

- Representative of Escapees Who Tunneled out of Latrun

Pinchas Ginosar

- Representative Prisoners Exiled to Kenya

Yehudit Ginosar

- Beit Lechem Prisoner

Ezriel Livnat

- Acco Prisoner; Exiled to Erithria

Geula Cohen

- Beit Lechem Prisoner

Baruch Guttmacher

- Representative of the Prisoners of Zion of the Etzel Group

Piduay Shevi (Redeemed Hostages/ P.O.WS)

Margalit Cohen

- Egypt 1973

Chezi Shai

- Lebanon 1982

David Avudraham

- Egypt 1973

Oded Zamir

-Egypt 1973

Yaacov Gur

- Egypt 1973

Uri Aharonfeld

- Egypt 1973

Sami Ben Abu

- Egypt 1973

Beni Finestein

- Egypt 1973

Dudi Biton

- Egypt 1973

Rafi Eldan

- Egypt 1973

Charley Ben Kassom

- Egypt 1973

Yisasschar Ben Daniel

- Egypt 1973

Yaacov Bronfeld

- Egypt 1973

Ovadia Gavriel

- Egypt 1973

Ido Goldhecht

- Egypt 1973

Dani Gilboa

- Lebanon 1982

Arik Ginosar

- Egypt 1973

Fezi Hirshtock

- Egypt 1973

Yosef Weiss

- Egypt 1973

David Ziv

- Egypt 1948

Yitzchak Carmel

- Egypt 1973

Assirei Tzion (Prisoners of Zion)

Yosef Mendelevitch

- Jerusalem

Shlomo Dreizner

- Jerusalem

Yaacov Suslenski

- Jerusalem

David Maayan

- Moshav Arugot

Ezriel Kochubievski

- Rechovot

Organizations and Groups

Amutah Assirei Lechi [The Lechi Fighters Organization]

- representing 158 members

Amutah Arim B'Layla

- representing 250 members of the Israel Defense Forces, former Prisoners of War.
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