Beilin: Israel Would Welcome Clemency For Pollard

Asher Wallfish - The Jerusalem Post - January 21, 1993

Israel would welcome any decision by the US administration on clemency for Jonathan Pollard on humanitarian grounds, deputy foreign minister Yossi Beilin told the Knesset yesterday.

Pollard was convicted of passing intelligence material to Israel gleaned during the course of his top-secret work.

Belin told Yosef Azran (Shas) that the government was and still is in frequent contact with the US administration regarding Pollard.

He said: "While any activity on Pollard's behalf by Israeli well-wishers on a humanitarian basis is encouraging, the principal effort is being made within the US by Americans, since Pollard is a US citizen sentenced in a US court," Beilin said.*

*Justice4JP 1995 Note

Jonathan Pollard sent the above article in a package of information to an American author. On it he wrote the the following note, just subsequent to winning his battle for Israeli citizenship. Jonathan's citizenship was the first step on the road to forcing the Government of Israel to stop lying about its involvement in his operation, and to take responsibility for him.

Jonathan Pollard wrote:

"To say that Yossi Belin was never very concerned about securing my repatriation would be an understatement. Indeed, if you really want to see a classic example of Yossi Belin's actual feeling towards me, you should take a look at what else he said during the course of this Knesset discussion! I think it's important to point out, though, that the sentiments he expressed on this occasion represented more than just his own personal views. In point of fact, they were actually an extremely accurate reflection of the Israeli political establishment's long held stand on my case: namely, that I was essentially an American problem", not theirs. This is why I decided I absolutely need to obtain Israeli citizenship. Basically, it was the only way I had to face the Israeli government to start working seriously on my release. Believe me, if I hadn't done this, I would literally be dead in the water right now..."