Last night, I dreamed that I was sitting opposite President Clinton at a formal dinner (fat chance) and I started confronting him as to why he hadn't pardoned Jonathan Pollard. I suppose because I was involved with trying to set up saying Tehilim for the 3 bochrim in Japan, that I had prisons on my mind. So, this morning, when I said the beracha of matir asurim, I had Gilad ben Aviva and Yehonatan ben Malka in my thoughts.
Today, on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, the month where the gemara states, ""BeNisan NiGalu, BeNisan Atidin LeGaeil" "In Nisan we were redeemed, and in the future, we will be redeemed in Nissan", I am going to take some time to write a letter to Jonathan Pollard. If I can't free him physically, perhaps I can free him mentally from his jail, albeit for the few minutes that it takes him to read my letter. If you would like to do the same, I refer you to a previous post to obtain his address.
UPDATE: Haaretz has just published an article entitled "What has Israel done for Jonathan Pollard lately?" To access full article, click here.
RE ARTICLE REFERENCED ABOVE: What has Israel done for Jonathan Pollard lately? (Yossi Melman, Haaretz, March 26, 2009) the following J4JP Release is a MUST-READ!
ReplyDelete---------------
J4JP: Lindenstrauss "Probe" is a Shameful Sham
Justice4JPnews - March 26, 2009
It is deeply distressing as we approach Passover, the Jewish Holiday of Freedom and a golden window of opportunity for Israel to request Jonathan Pollard's release, Israeli officialdom, instead, slams the window shut by disseminating disinformation.
A case in point: the Melman article that appeared in Haaretz this morning (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074057.html) claiming that Micha Lindenstrauss, Israel's State Comptroller will soon reveal the results of a so-called "investigation" of the Pollard case. The article states that the report will conclude that Israel may not have over-exerted itself for Pollard, but in the overall Pollard has nothing to complain about. (Twenty-four years of abandonment by Israel and affliction in American prisons have destroyed Pollard's health, and he has nothing to complain about?) A blatant lie - the claim that Israel has paid all of Pollard's legal expenses - is offered as proof of Israel's investment in Pollard's fate. The article ends with the usual "inevitable" conclusion that absolutely nothing more can be done by Israel to help Pollard.
The timing of this disinformation about a so-called "probe" of Israel's treatment of Jonathan Pollard is calculated to defuse any public expectation that there will be any effort expended to secure Pollard's release for Passover.
It is typical that Israeli officials, for more than 2 decades, have routinely pre-empted every window of opportunity with media disinformation of this sort which trumpets the futility of even attempting to rescue Pollard. In this way, for 24 years, they have poisoned the minds of the Israeli public and sent a clear message to the Americans: forget about Pollard.
Compare and contrast this attitude to the recent public frenzy that has been calculatedly orchestrated by Israel around the release of another Israeli captive -- for whom no effort is spared and no price too high to pay.
J4JP wishes to reiterate that the abandonment of Jonathan Pollard by the Government of Israel is so absolute that in 24 years neither Jonathan nor his wife have ever received a cent from Israel and live in poverty and distress. The Government lies to the public and claims that it is helping them and providing for all of their needs. The Pollards do not want money; all they want is Jonathan home. This example is cited only as an absolute reflection of how deep the abandonment is. Is this the way a government treats an agent it intends to bring home?
Prior to the inception of this fake "investigation", the Pollards appealed to Lindenstrauss to force the government to produce evidence to back up its lies which claim that it is helping the Pollards "in every respect possible". Lindenstrauss responded that he has no authority to ask for testimony or evidence in his "investigation" and that he must rely on WHATEVER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TELL HIM!
Pollard was forced to turn to the District Court of Tel Aviv in attempt to force the Government of Israel to stop lying about the help it claims it is providing to him and his wife. (See http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2008/080408.doc) The case is still pending.
Below is the Talkback that J4JP submitted to Haaretz this morning. It is the maximum number of words permitted.
TALKBACK
Re Article: What has Israel done for Jonathan Pollard lately? by Yossi Melman
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074057.html
Sender: Justice4JP
Title: INVESTIGATION IS A SHAMEFUL SHAM
If Israel "paid all of Jonathan Pollard's legal expenses" why do ALL of Jonathan's attorneys work pro-bono? This is one of the many lies that Lindenstrauss is peddling --the worst ones will be classified, of course!
The "probe" was not an investigation. According to Lindenstrauss, it was an "opinion- gathering" only. Lindenstrauss interviewed Israeli officials and took them at their word. He did not take testimony, did not collect evidence. He told Pollard's pro-bono attorney that he has no mandate to actually ask for evidence. This "probe" is a cover-up whitewash that will hurt Jonathan Pollard, not help. Shame on Lindenstrauss.
The former head of the CIA is calling for Jonathan's release, so are all of those top US officials who once opposed but now support his release.The President's powers of clemency are UNLIMITED. It is Israel's leaders who torpedo Jonathan's release. Shame on Haaretz for carrying the water of the Israeli Intelligence community, once again.
See Also:
* Legal Doc: Lawsuit: Pollard vs. the State of Israel: PDF – Word file http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2008/080408.doc
* Legal Doc [Hebrew]: Lawsuit: Pollard vs the State of Israel: PDF – Word file http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2008/080408Ha.doc
* The Israeli Legal Cases Page http://www.jonathanpollard.org/petition.htm
* Pollard Sues the State of Israel To Stop Govt. Lies Claiming He Got Money http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2008/080408a.htm
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
JUSTICE FOR JONATHAN POLLARD
Website: http://www.JonathanPollard.org
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