Re: Linkage
October 3, 1995 - Charley Levine - Letter To The Editor
Dear Sir,
The articulate editorial arguing against linkage of Jonathan Pollard's commutation of sentence to "other issues" is as compelling as a stirring defense of the flat earth theory...and just as irrelevant.
The issue is
not
that the merits of the situation demand Pollard's release. No argument. If it were as simple as that, he would have been out by now. Rather the reality ishow
can we ensure that he is released, and what measures will bring it about?Linkage between Pollard and the peace process, or between him and assorted Israeli traitors or captive Hamas sheikhs may have no logical thread in common save one: Put the two together and a pretext or cause for release might be hammered out where otherwise none yet exists.
Many are convinced that the "ultimate" linkage would win the prisoner's freedom in 24 hours and have him in Israel within 48. Were Prime Minister Rabin to tell President Clinton "Due to intense pressures at home, I cannot move ahead with the peace process until you give me one confidence building measure that virtually no one else in the world cares about...Jonathan Pollard," we would see the commutation of the sentence. Logical? Perhaps not. Practical? Without a doubt.
Sincerely,
Charley J. Levine
Jerusalem