HCJ Believes Government Will Do All it Can to Secure Pollard's Release

Shmuel Dekalo - Globes: Israel's Business Arena - February 7, 2000

The High Court of Justice today rejected Jonathan Pollard's petition against Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Even while they rejected the petition, however, judges Aaron Barak, Mishael Heshin and Yitzhak Zamir noted in their decision that "HCJ believes that the government will meet its commitment to see to Pollard's needs and do whatever is needed and possible in order to secure his release from prison.

"HCJ shares the hope that the government will succeed and that Pollard will be released from prison soon. Legally speaking, however, the Court sees no grounds for intervening in the activity the government is pursuing and planning in this matter".

Pollard petitioned HCJ in 1999, raising a series of matters the government should, so he alleges, have attended to but did not.

Pollard also sought to receive a full copy of his personal file at the Ministry of Defence and also copies of reports by Rottenstreich Zur and Abba Eban relating to his case.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak demurred at the allegations raised by Pollard and said, in a communique to the court, that the State of Israel acknowledged its commitment toward him and was meeting that commitment. This commitment meant attempting to secure his release from prison. The State believes this will be achieved not by public campaigning but in secret.

See Also: The Israeli Court Petition Page