Minister Ne'eman to Meet with Pollard Today

March 23, 1998 - IINS

Minister of Finance Yaakov Ne'eman is scheduled to meet today with convicted spy Jonathan Pollard in his North Carolina prison cell.

Professor Ne'eman will be the third Israeli Cabinet Minister to visit with Pollard over the past 6-months. The first was Minister of Absorption and Immigration Yuli Edelshtein, followed by Minister of Communication, Limor Livnat.

The visit of Ne'eman is considered by many to send a strong signal to Washington, indicating a definite change in Israeli government policy, with the visit of a senior Cabinet official.

The idea for the visit was said to be that of Cabinet Secretary Danny Naveh. The finance minister did discuss the possibility of the visit with the prime minister, prior to his leaving for the United States.

According to the attorneys working on behalf of Mr. Pollard, as well as his wife and close friends, the evidence presented to the Israeli High Court of Justice demanding that Pollard be acknowledged publicly as an "Israeli agent" is most compelling, and indicates beyond any doubt that Mr. Pollard was not acting on his own initiative.