To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, July 10, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Monday, July 10, 2000 / Tammuz 7, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PALESTINIANS MAY MARCH ON EASTERN JERUSALEM
2. BARAK STANDS ALONE
3. NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE WILL FAIL, BUT WILL EMBARRASS BARAK
4. PROTESTING THE GIVEAWAY
5. IN AND AROUND THE SUMMIT
6. "IF YOU ONLY KNEW WHAT WE KNOW"
1. PALESTINIANS MAY MARCH ON EASTERN JERUSALEM
The IDF is preparing for a possible eruption of Palestinian violence in
Jerusalem. According to a senior Home Front Command officer, the
Palestinians will attempt to mass-march towards the Jewish neighborhoods in
eastern Jerusalem - something for which the IDF presently has no response.
He said that hundreds of photographers from around the world are preparing
to capture these marches on film, and have already rented spots around the
Old City from which to do so. Arutz-7's Kobi Sela reports that the IDF is
making preparations to station sizeable forces in the Old City.
2. BARAK STANDS ALONE
The NRP became the third coalition party - after Yisrael B'Aliyah and Shas
- to resign within 24 hours, when Housing Minister Rabbi Yitzchak Levy
submitted his letter of resignation to Prime Minister Barak this morning.
The letter blamed Barak for violating the coalition guidelines, which state
that the Yesha settlements will not be disrupted before the final-status
agreement. Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman explained that though Barak claims to
be aiming for a final-status agreement, it is an "open secret" that an
interim-agreement, involving the immediate transfer of at least 80% of
Yesha to the Palestinians, is all that will be achieved.
Barak received Levy's resignation letter as he boarded the plane for Cairo,
on his way to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The Prime
Minister will then return to Israel for the no-confidence votes in the
Knesset, and then - assuming his government is not toppled - will depart
for the Camp David summit.
"Never before has a national leader left for such a fateful mission so
internally weakened, as is Barak today... The disintegration of the
government is the price Barak is paying for both his arrogance and his
political inexperience..." So wrote Yoel Marcus in a front-page op-ed in
today's Ha'aretz. Opposition leader Ariel Sharon said today, "He who thinks
who knows everything himself, and consults with no one, ends up going to
Camp David by himself."
Barak addressed the nation last night in a televised speech, and said, "No
one will teach me what security is." He said that he was not elected by
the Knesset or by the parties, but rather by the populace, and he draws his
strength from "each one of you." He noted that Rabbis Lichtenstein and
Amital had come to "strengthen and encourage" him several hours earlier,
together with Yechezkel Cohen, father of GSS agent Noam Cohen, who was
murdered in February '94 by Palestinian terrorists in Ramallah. "I head
for Camp David," Barak said, "as a representative of Yechezkel Cohen, and
of Yitzchak Frankental, and of the many who have lost loved ones to
terrorism..."
Other family members of Arab terrorism victims later issued an announcement
objecting to the above statement. Aryeh Bachrach, whose son Ohad and a
friend were murdered by Arab terrorists while swimming in Wadi Kelt several
years ago, wrote a letter of protest to Barak, saying that he sees the
government's territorial concessions as a framework for further killings.
"Don't pour salt on our wounds," he wrote.
3. NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE WILL FAIL, BUT WILL EMBARRASS BARAK
The Knesset was abuzz with frantic activity all day in anticipation of this
evening's no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Barak. The newly-bolstered
opposition needs 61 MKs to topple the government, but at present only has
53 sure votes - Likud (19), Shas (17), National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu (7),
National Religious Party (5), Yisrael B'Aliyah (4), and Herut (1). The
five MKs of United Torah Judaism will abstain (see below), while the
position of 8 other MKs is uncertain - those of Shinui (6) and Am Echad
(2). In addition, at least two coalition party MKs are also considering
voting against Barak - Maxime Levy (One Israel) and Roni Milo (Centrist).
If the no-confidence bill passes, new elections must be held within 90 days.
MK Rabbi Meir Porush (UTJ) said that his party has always voted on the
"side of Eretz Yisrael," but "we must also vote for Torah in Eretz
Yisrael." He noted that even if his party voted against Barak, the
government is not likely to fall, "since there would still only be 58
votes, and not 61." When asked how his party would vote if its vote would
provide the crucial margin, Rabbi Porush answered, "As always, we will
submit our recommendations to the Torah sages, whose view on these issues
is above that of regular politicians." The party's Council of Sages issue
its decision later in the day to abstain in the vote.
Shinui's view was explained by party leader MK Yosef Lapid in a talk with
Arutz-7 today. He said that Labor party leaders are making major efforts
to convince him to vote with the government:
"I don't think they have the right to expect us to vote in favor the
government... We don't owe Prime Minister Barak any favors, given his
efforts at pushing through the Tal Committee recommendations [on yeshiva
students' military exemptions]... On the other hand, we would have a hard
time voting against peace. We are in favor of the diplomatic process, and
don't feel it is proper to put a stumbling block before him as he heads to
negotiate a peace deal. It's legitimate to vote against whatever deal he
may come back with from Camp David, but to vote against the trip itself
takes away any chance of us knowing what deal could have been struck."
Lapid says that he is opposed to any form of return of Arab refugees, and
predicted that no agreement will be signed with the Palestinians at Camp
David, because "the Arab demands are such that they cannot be met under any
circumstances." Arutz-7's Haggai Segal asked, "What if the Prime Minister
signs a deal, and then returns to Israel with the threat that if it is not
accepted by the Knesset or the nation, a war could ensue?" Lapid answered,
"I hope that he brings back an agreement that we can accept without
threats, but if we don't think the agreement is satisfactory, we will vote
against it."
MK Chaim Katz of the two-seat Am Echad party told Arutz-7 today that he
leans towards voting against the government, although his colleague MK Amir
Peretz - a former Labor MK - will vote for Barak.
Justice Minister Yossi Beilin sent a letter to the Arab parties last night
containing a list of "advantages" they could gain by voting against the
no-confidence motion today. The list includes: the improvement of
infrastructures in the Arab sector, bolstering the number of Israeli-Arabs
in governmental institution positions, and taking action to stop
"desecration of Moslem holy sites." The letter, which was read aloud to
Arutz-7's Haggai Seri by the leader of the Israeli-Arab Ra'am party, also
promises the allocation of new lands for construction within Arab towns,
and pledges to drop legal proceedings against the massive illegal
construction that continues in Arab towns. Ra'am reportedly rejected the
offer, demanding also the implementation of all UN resolutions obligating
Israel, and more. Ha'aretz reports this afternoon that the government
denies any connection between the reported offers and the present political
crisis.
4. PROTESTING THE GIVEAWAY
The Prime Minister's route to the airport this afternoon will be lined by
thousands of protestors, showing their displeasure with Barak's planned
concessions to Arafat at the upcoming summit. Left-wing activists tore
down the dozens of anti-Barak signs that lined the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem
highway last night. The Yesha Council called upon its people to re-post
the signs, and said that for every poster that is taken down, "we will hang
ten. If this is what they want, then the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway will
be totally ours."
Aryeh Bramson, whose jaw was broken by pro-Barak agitators while he was
hanging anti-Barak posters, was operated on last night. The Yesha Council
is considering supplying its activists with tear gas for self-defense.
Bramson was visited in the hospital today by Likud MKs Livnat, Eitan, and
Livny, as well as Centrist MK Roni Milo (formerly of the Likud).
5. IN AND AROUND THE SUMMIT
A Gallup/Ma'ariv poll shows that 45% of adult Israelis oppose the summit,
while less than two weeks ago this number stood at 26%.
Palestinian demands for the Camp David summit include the following (with
thanks to Arutz-7 reporters and Middle East News Line):
* No partial agreement, and no pushing off of issues such as Jerusalem, the
refugees, and a full Israeli withdrawal.
* A full withdrawal to the pre-Six Day War border and the dismantling of
all Jewish settlements.
* The right of return for four million Palestinian refugees.
* A totally sovereign state, with no armaments or air-space limitations.
* Capital in Jerusalem.
* Israel and the West must pay the new state $40 billion, to cover
infrastructure projects, a new pension system, and as compensation for lost
Palestinian homes in the 1948 war.
6. "IF YOU ONLY KNEW WHAT WE KNOW"
Esther Pollard, whose husband Jonathan has sat in American prison since
1985 on charges of espionage, wrote a letter to U.S. President Clinton last
month, asking that he take note of an article written on June 20 in The
Jerusalem Post by Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA. She wrote that her husband's
rabbi, "the Rishon Le Zion, former chief Rabbi of Israel, His Honor, Ha'Rav
Mordecai Eliahu, shlita," had requested that she call Clinton's attention
to the article by Lerner, entitled, "Finally, the Truth about the Pollard
Affair."
In article, Dr. Lerner notes "some shocking information that recently came
to my attention [that] makes the already-powerful arguments for Pollard's
immediate release just that much stronger..." He wrote that an Israeli
report written shortly after Pollard was sentenced to life imprisonment
found that Israel agreed to return the American documents that Pollard
obtained for them only on condition that they would not be used to convict
him. However, Assistant U.S. Attorney John R. Fisher later wrote that
Pollard pleaded guilty only after American investigators returned from
Israel with the said papers. "Not only did the Americans break their
agreement with Israel and use the documents to prosecute Pollard," wrote
Lerner, "[but] the government's own lawyer states for the record that
Pollard pleaded guilty thanks to those documents." Furthermore, Pollard
did not know, during his appeal in 1991, that the papers were not supposed
to have been used against him.
Lerner continues,
"From day one, proponents of the [severe life] sentence have defended
their position by claiming that the damage assessment in Pollard's
classified file is so shocking that it justifies the sentence. For years,
this 'if you only knew what we know' argument has provided refuge for
people who, for whatever reason, did not want to help put an end to this
grossly disproportionate punishment. But now we do know. New York Senator
Charles Schumer did not rely on what others claimed was in the classified
Pollard file. He saw it himself. And after reviewing the "if you only
knew what we know" file, he revealed the shocking truth - There was nothing
to know!... Schumer, after seeing the file itself, states that there is
nothing in it to justify the harsh and unprecedented sentence that Jonathan
Pollard is serving."
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To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 Op-Ed: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NEW
POLLARD INFO
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NEW POLLARD INFO
by Jay Shapiro
Arutz Sheva <http://IsraelNationalNews.com>
Broadcast July, 2000 / Tammuz, 5760
In this article:
1. A Jewish Priority
2. The New Information
3. Israel's Role
4. "If You Only Knew"
5. Breaking The Silence
A JEWISH PRIORITY
Redemption of prisoners - pidyon shvuyim - is a moral and religious
obligation that takes halakhic [Jewish legal] preference over all
other mitzvot [commandments]. Just by reading some halakhic responsa,
one can see the great sacrifices Jewish communities have made
throughout history to free our brethren from the shackles of gentile
prisons. It is a mitzvah that always had the consensus of Jews,
regardless of their affiliation.
It was not that long ago when world Jewry united to protest the plight
of our brothers and sisters behind the iron curtain. Continuous
pressure on the former USSR unlocked the bars and freed hundreds of
thousands of Jews to Israel and the west. The State of Israel, as the
"corporate headquarters" of the Jewish people, invaded the sovereign
territory of Argentina to find Adolf Eichmann and bring him to trial,
and sent commandos to Entebbe in 1976.
However, there are presently two instances where Jews are in danger,
and world Jewry is not doing its share in demanding their release.
One involves the MIAs, the Jewish soldiers missing in action from the
Lebanese War. Three of them were last seen in Syrian captivity 18
years ago, and several years ago Yasser Arafat exhibited the identity
tag of one of these missing men. The State of Israel should not have
entered into any negotiations with Syria nor with Arafat without a
precondition that the fate of these men be made known.
The other instance is one that is more readily amenable to an
immediate solution - if Israel and American Jewry accept their
religious and moral obligation: Jonathan Pollard has been in prison
for fifteen years for spying for Israel. And although some attempts
have been made on his behalf, the Pollard issue is not at the top of
the agenda of Israel and American Jewry, as it must be. For in
addition to the perversion of justice by the American judicial system,
and the fact that his penalty is much harsher than that given to
others for worse crimes, evidence has now become available showing
that the injustice is even greater than previously known.
Newly-released information from a report by a Knesset Committee
chaired by Abba Eban and another by US Senator Charles Schumer sheds
new light on the Pollard case.
THE NEW INFORMATION
Briefly put, the case against Pollard was based on documents belonging
to the American government that Pollard had provided to Israel, and
which the U.S. wished to retrieve. At the time, the Israeli Prime
Minister was Shimon Peres, and the American Secretary of State was
George Schultz. Schultz was friendly to Israel and wanted to limit
this embarrassing situation between friends as much as possible.
According to the Eban Report, a significant milestone in the
development of the Israeli strategy was a midnight call from Schultz
to Prime Minister Peres. In this conversation, the Prime Minister
clarified for Mr. Schultz several points, including: (a) The political
echelon did not know of the Pollard initiative, as it had been taken
without consent and without any official authorization. (b) Israel
will cooperate fully with the United States. (c) Israel will
discipline those found responsible, and will dismantle the relevant
unit. (d) Israel will return the documents obtained via Pollard.
The Eban report, released only last month, goes on to say that these
commitments were not given without reservations. Israel did not give
an open pledge, but rather presented restrictions and qualifications -
including the granting of immunity to the three other Israelis
involved in the affair, and an American guarantee that the documents
returned would not be used to convict Pollard.
These very documents constituted the basis for the conviction and life
sentence that Pollard received, in spite of the American commitment
not to use the documents against him. When the FBI used these
documents against Pollard, he felt that he had no choice but to plead
guilty. Then followed the chain of events which many of you already
know: The Justice Department implied that his cooperation would net
him only a "substantial sentence" - understood to be ten years in
prison (no other spy for an allied country had received more than four
years). Then, an hour before sentencing, Defense Secretary Caspar
Weinberger delivered a secret memo to the judge, proclaiming Pollard
to be the worst spy in American history, guilty of treason (a charge
never made by the prosecution, because Israel is an ally of the United
States). Pollard then became the first defendant in American history
to receive the maximum sentence after pleading guilty - sentenced to
life on the basis of a secret affidavit which neither he nor his
lawyers were allowed to review in detail, and as a direct result of an
American violation of the pledge that the papers would not be used
against him.
This is the type of thing that would normally have every civil rights
advocate and every American Jewish organization parading in the
streets against that verdict. The manner in which Pollard was
convicted is a blot upon the American judicial system.
ISRAEL'S ROLE
Pollard was never advised by Israel that the United States had agreed
not to use the documents against him. He pleaded guilty without
knowing this, and when his appeal came up years later, in 1987, he
still did not know this. During the appeal, the U.S. government
attorney opposing the reduction of sentence said, "the defendant
agreed to enter a guilty plea and cooperate only after government
attorneys and investigators returned from Israel with additional
evidence of the defendant's guilt." So Pollard was betrayed by both
the United States, which violated the conditions under which the
documents were returned, and by Israel, which never made him aware of
those conditions.
"IF YOU ONLY KNEW"
There is another important point. Proponents of the severe sentence
against Pollard have defended their position by claiming that the
damage assessment in Pollard's classified file is so shocking that it
justifies the sentence. This was the politically-correct
justification for the severe sentence. New York Senator Charles
Schumer did not rely on what others claimed about the classified file.
He procured access to the file and reviewed it. Schumer said that he
found that absolutely nothing in the file justifies the life sentence.
All the key players in this drama know the truth. The Israeli
Government knows the conditions upon which the documents were returned
to the Americans. The American administration, including the
President, is aware of the conditions that were violated. Most
importantly, the Americans know that nothing in the file can justify a
life sentence for spying for a friendly country.
BREAKING THE SILENCE
Larry Dub, Jonathan Pollard's lawyer, recently reported that Pollard
made contact with leaders of major Jewish organizations, hoping that
in light of these new revelations, they might be willing to assist in
the fight against this terrible injustice. Wrong. They are not
interested in helping him. They find all kinds of excuses.
One of the Jewish names that keeps coming up in reference to the
Pollard affair is U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, an
Orthodox Jew. His name is associated with this affair for several
reasons. One is that Hillary Clinton, who is running for Senate in
New York State, answers questions about Pollard by saying that
"Senator Lieberman, a Jew, is against his release." This is a
terrible insult to both the Senator and to American Jews. Senator
Lieberman does not represent the Jewish people. He was elected to the
Senate as an American citizen - not as a Jew. New York State
Assemblyman Sam Colman wrote to Senator Lieberman that Pollard was
"arrested as an American but punished as a Jew... We Jews in America
will truly be first-class citizens only when we have the courage to
state openly and publicly that we will not accept a double standard of
justice. When a Jew commits a crime, he should be punished - but not
more severely than another American in similar circumstances. As
equal American citizens, we must reject the 'compliment' of
anti-Semites that more is expected of us, and that therefore a more
severe sentence is warranted." In his reply to Colman, Lieberman said
that he, Lieberman, does not speak for the Jewish community. That is
certainly true. But it should bother Senator Lieberman that Hillary
Clinton considers him the 'house Jew.' As an American and as a Jew
holding one of the highest elected offices in the United States, he
should take public exception to Hillary's basing her excuses on him as
a Jew. But Hillary and the Senator are both Democrats, so it is not
easy to know what Lieberman's agenda is. Rumor has it that he is
interested in being the Democratic candidate for Vice President.
Whether this is true or not, it does not change the facts in the
Pollard case. And as long as the American Jewish leadership is afraid
to take a stand against this injustice, it is fairly obvious that,
sadly, despite all their claims, they are still insecure as Jews in
America.
Jonathan Pollard, betrayed by Israel and the United States, has been
incarcerated for fifteen years. The moral obligation of pidyon
shvuyim demands that this terrible injustice be rectified. On the eve
of the new Camp David negotiations, the Israeli government should
demand from the Americans that before we even sit down to talk,
Jonathan be released home to Israel.
For more information on this topic, visit
"http://www.JonathanPollard.org".
--------
Jay Shapiro heads a consulting firm dealing with United States
Government contracting. He is the host of a popular current events
show on Arutz-7 English broadcasts and is the author of several books
of essays on Israeli society. Books available from the author:
<mailto:jay@IsraelNationalNews.com>.
***********************************************************************
From: Justice4JP <pollard@jonathanpollard.org>
Organization: Justice for Jonathan Pollard
To: EYP & JP <pollard@jonathanpollard.org>
Subject: IS JONATHAN POLLARD A CAMP DAVID BARGAINING
CHIP? by
Dan Naveh
IS JONATHAN POLLARD A CAMP DAVID BARGAINING CHIP?
The Baltimore Sun July 14, 2000
by Dan Naveh
JERUSALEM - President Clinton has convened a summit between Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat at Camp David to attempt
to work out a historic final arrangement between Israel and the
Palestinians.
This summit affords Mr. Clinton a last chance to honor his commitment
to the people of Israel to free Jonathan Pollard.
Before the Wye summit in October 1998, Mr.Clinton promised the prime
minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, that he would free Pollard.
Mr. Clinton reaffirmed this commitment, and the details were worked
out in the course of the negotiations at the Wye River Plantation,
which led to the signing of an agreement between Israel and the
Palestinians. I was a witness to the deal.
Nevertheless, in the early hours of the final morning of the summit -
really at the very last moment - Mr. Clinton reneged. He informed the
prime minister that he could not honor his commitment. The president's
excuse was that George Tenet, the director of the CIA, would resign if
Pollard were released.
As his term in office ends, Mr. Clinton will be remembered by the
people of Israel either as a man who gave his word to the prime
minister and kept it or as a man who gave his word but did not keep
it.
The open wound in U.S.-Israel relations caused by the Pollard affair
has been bleeding for 15 years. Pollard has long since expressed
remorse for his actions, and Israel has done so as well. In May 1998,
Mr. Netanyahu granted Pollard official recognition as an Israeli
agent. This decision laid the groundwork for a resolution of the
Pollard case between the prime minister and Mr. Clinton.
There is no doubt in my mind that running Pollard as an agent in the
United States was a grave mistake on the part of those officials who
enlisted him on behalf of Israel. It was unconscionable to have
allowed a situation to exist in which officials in Jerusalem were
running a spy in the United States - a country that is the closest
ally and strongest friend of Israel.
The punishment meted out to Pollard was the harshest possible and
completely unprecedented when compared with others who have committed
similar offenses in the United States. Fifteen years later, the time
has come for Israel and the United States to put the Pollard affair
behind them and to allow the wounds to heal. This is a humanitarian
issue of the highest order.
Following Mr. Tenet's original threat to resign at Wye, Mr. Clinton
released 14 unrepentant Puerto Rican terrorists, members of the Armed
Forces of the National Liberation (FALN). He granted them presidential
clemency despite a solid wall of opposition from Mr. Tenet, Congress
and all of his Justice Department, Pentagon and intelligence
advisers. But Pollard continues to languish in prison.
Since the Wye summit, Prime Minister Ehud Barak has released numerous
Palestinian terrorists who have murdered innocent Israeli citizens.
But Pollard continues to languish in prison.
Even after Mr. Clinton reneged on his promise at Wye to free Pollard,
there were renewed hopes because he promised to conduct a speedy
review of the Pollard case. The understanding was that the forthcoming
release of Palestinians terrorists would bring about a parallel
gesture on the part of Mr. Clinton - namely, Pollard's release. But
this did not occur. The terrorists were released, Pollard was not.
The president of the United States has, on other occasions,
demonstrated his ability to reach out to the Israeli people. The end
of Mr. Clinton's term in office represents a never-to-be-repeated
golden opportunity to honor the commitment he made at Wye and to
demonstrate true generosity of spirit to the people of Israel.
Popular support in Israel for Pollard's release cuts across all
political lines. There is a broad national consensus on the issue.
According to reliable statistical data, 80 percent of Israelis expect
Mr. Clinton to release Pollard.
Israelis understand the seriousness of the offense that was committed
by Pollard; no one makes light of it. But at the same time, Israelis
do not understand why particularly Pollard - who has expressed remorse
- remains in prison while other unrepentant criminals, terrorists and
spies who have committed far more serious offenses have been released
after serving much lighter sentences.
Most Israelis do not understand why Mr. Clinton still has not kept his
promise to release Pollard. Most Israelis will be left with a very
bitter taste toward the Clinton administration if the president does
not use the time he has left in the White House to free Pollard. The
Camp David summit among Mr. Barak, Mr. Clinton and Mr. Arafat is the
ideal opportunity to do so. -30-
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------
Dan Naveh is a member of the Israeli parliament from the Likud Party
and was Cabinet secretary and head of the Israeli team negotiating
with the Palestinians for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
***************************************************************************