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Commentary;
Israel National News’ Hillel Fendel provided a glimpse, in the article below, at some of the scope of the State Comptroller’s coming investigation of successive governments’ handling of the Pollard affair. MB
Israelis Ask Pres. Bush: Bring Pollard With You!, by Hillel Fendel
(Israel National News)
Excerpts;
The Audit Committee, chaired by National Religious Party leader MK Zevulun Orlev, is authorized to assign topics to be investigated and reviewed by the State Comptroller. Lindenstrauss is to investigate the various Israeli governments’ handling of the Jonathan Pollard affair, their failure to obtain his release, and what can be done now to bring Pollard home.
“After 22 years in which an Israeli agent and citizen has been rotting in American prison, it is time to check where we failed, and what the government must do to bring about his release,” Orlev summed up.
Among the issues for Comptroller Lindenstrauss to investigate will be:
• The talk between then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres and then-US Secretary of State George Schulz, on the day of Pollard’s arrest, in which Peres denied knowledge of the affair and promised to help the Americans
• The decision by Peres to return all the documents to the United States without ensuring that they would not be used as evidence against Pollard
• Israel’s failure to aid Pollard legally
• Israel’s failure to recognize him as an Israeli agent until 13 years after he was arrested
• The Supreme Court’s rejection of Pollard’s request to be recognized as a Prisoner of Zion
• Ex-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s failure to take a letter to U.S. President Bush signed by 110 MKs asking for Pollard’s release
• Israel’s failure to have ever filed a formal request with the United States for his release.