Citizenship, Parole, and Remorse:
The Role of Amnon Dror And the Public Committee

Web Posted April 11, 2000

The Excerpts that follow are quotes from a letter that Jonathan Pollard wrote to his wife Esther, on August 13, 1995.

Historical Background:

The letter was written in the aftermath of a feature article that appeared in Yediot Achronot in the summer of 1995, which quoted Amnon Dror (head of a "Public Committee" secretly-appointed by the Israeli Government), Nancy Luque (the US attorney paid by the Israeli Government), and members of Jonathan's family.

Jonathan Pollard became eligible for parole for the first time in 1995. A team of US experts under the auspices of Benson B. Weintraub Esq. researched the advisability of such a move. The Weintraub Report concluded:

"...the consensus of informed opinion among the post-conviction attorneys with whom I have reviewed this scenario concur that it would be ill-advised to proceed to (parole) hearing at this time. Rather, I encourage you to more fully pursue global and national political solutions prior to seeking any Executive Branch consideration, including parole or clemency."

In spite of the conclusions of the Weintraub Parole Report, Amnon Dror, Nancy Luque and members of Jonathan's immediate family continued vigorously to pursue the parole track. They believed that a political track would embarrass the government of Israel if it were forced to contradict its long-standing policy of denying responsibility for Jonathan.

The article in Yediot Achronot was one of several that appeared around the same time, devoted to attacking Jonathan's request for Israeli Citizenship, questioning his sanity, attacking his wife and his attorney Larry Dub, and promoting the myth of parole.

Here are some of Jonathan's comments from his letter of August 13, 1995:

"...People should understand that the Public Committee is not some independent group of civic-minded individuals who banded together to help me out of some sense of altruism. They are, in fact, an official organization used by the Government of Israel to separate themselves - or insulate themselves - from all responsibility for me. And make no bones about it, nobody is fooled by them - least of all the US Government which, like me, sees them as a manifestation of Israel's continuing refusal to take responsibility and end my "hefker" status (orphan status). So, as far as I'm concerned, the Committee and those it represents essentially represent everything that is wrong in Israel's handling of the affair."

"...As far as the claim that (Dror makes) that I don't know what is going on, this is preposterous! I'm not some prisoner in the gulag, cut off from the world. I know - perhaps even more than I care to - not only what is going on, but unfortunately I also know exactly what is not going on."

"...As far as the Public Committee is concerned - and, by the way, I've been totally dissatisfied and disgusted by the manner in which this case has been proceeding for the past ten years - as far as my attitude towards Amnon Dror and the Public Committee is concerned, people have to understand a few things about this: I've given them essentially ten years to resolve this affair, and they have failed miserably. I have absolutely no confidence in either Dror or the Committee, both of which essentially operate, not according to what is best for me but, according to what is best for the Israeli Government. And it is not for Dror or for the Committee to react with moral indignation at this comment, because they are the ones most active in undermining my efforts to attain Israeli citizenship. As such, they are a dagger poised right at my heart."

"...More than anything else, I have a right to choose my advocates (champions). It also follows that I have a right to reject those persons who step forward and offer their services on my behalf. Now, the fact of the matter is, Dror and the Committee are treating me as if I should be held to military discipline. Well, the fact is, any soldier worth his salt will follow any good officer that he believes in - anywhere! The fact is, I have no faith and no confidence in these "officers" (i.e., Dror and the Committee; remember, they are not "volunteers"). If they are going to try to hold me to military Discipline, then they have to be worthy of my respect and my confidence. Essentially, they are worthless as officers: they have virtually left me staked out in the sand for ten years! And that kind of conduct does not inspire any confidence; it just furthers my view that they are either criminally incompetent or completely immoral."

"...I am no longer willing to keep the company of such people (Dror and the Committee, Luque etc.) They live on their knees. I intend to stand on my feet and I hope that by doing so I will bring honor upon the State of Israel and upon the cause I served. There is no honor in begging on your knees for something that you should receive as a matter of right and decency and fairness.

None of what I have said calls into question for a moment my remorse. What I find reprehensible is that I've been trying to voice my remorse for years, but there has been so much ink and paper print wasted on attacks on me, or attacks on my sanity, or attacks on my wife, that no one has been able to hear what I've been saying!

And I believe that this is no accident. I believe that people who claim to be helping me have done everything they can, not only to prevent me from voicing my remorse but also to obscure what I've said by creating a mass of irrelevant distractions as side issues.

If these people, who claim to be my friends and supporters were truly friends and supporters, they should have given those two pages in Yediot Achronot to make my voice heard; instead they used those two pages in Yediot to attack me, to slander me, and to libel me and drown out my voice. How is it that the people who are ostensibly supposed to be protecting me, keep drowning me out with their attacks, their libel and their invective?!"

"...This is about a man's right to choose. I choose life! My choice is not shared by those in the Committee who are charged with securing my release. They have failed. They have completely failed."

"Here is a quote from a copy of letter to Amnon and the Committee, written by Nancy Luque, the US attorney of their choice:

I have reached the point where I feel as though the Government of Israel truly has abandoned Jonathan. Although time is very short, there is no sense of urgency in the efforts of the Government ... When people believe that something cannot be done, it will not be done ... He (Jonathan) has heard "later" too many times. He feels despair, rotting in prison ...Israel must put all of its weight behind this matter for the next few months. They must make their position "official". If they do not, Jonathan will be there for fifteen more years. None of these things can or will happen without the Government of Israel. The Prime Minister must make crystal clear that it is important to the people of Israel that the (American) Government resolve this ..." *

The Government's response to this letter was - nothing. Blank. No response." * [The full text of this letter is available. It reveals with startling clarity who Amnon Dror and Nancy Luque are and the role they play for the Israeli Government.]

"...There is something Amnon Dror does repeatedly that infuriates me: he makes things up! In a recent article by Uri Dan and Dennis Eisenberg that appeared in the Jerusalem Post ("A Shameful Silence", 27/7/95), Dror is quoted as saying that he is in receipt of letters from me in which I say certain things. That is a lie. No such letters were sent to him. Another recent statement he (Dror) made, also in the Jerusalem Post, states that he has been in telephone contact with me. That, too, is a lie - and on both counts I can back it up with hard fact."

"...The bottom line is this: I have a right to choose! I have given them all ten years to resolve this affair, and it's not just that they failed, but they failed to even make an effort! As the above letter states, there is no sense of urgency in the government's efforts. They haven't even tried."

"..Lastly, when people like Dror and the Committee and their agents attack my wife, not only are their actions uncalled for, but those actions are cowardly. What kind of person attacks the wife of a man who is in the position I'm in?

I am in no position to defend the woman I love. Only a coward does what they're doing. And I've had enough of dealing with cowards! What they are doing to me in regard to my wish to have my wife represent me, they have been doing to me, as well, in a much more sinister sense over the last 10 years, by playing with my fate."

Justice4JP Addendum:

A Previously Untold Story About Jonathan Pollard's Fight for Israeli Citizenship

Much attention has been given to the public nature of Jonathan Pollard's fight for official recognition by the Government of Israel, and few of the behind the scenes episodes are known. Here is a significant one:

Jonathan Pollard did not originally plan a public campaign for Israeli citizenship. Instead, in the Spring of 1995, he sent his wife, Esther, to Jerusalem to quietly share with the Government the conclusions of the Weintraub Report on Parole and to impress upon them the need to extend Israeli citizenship to him as a basis for negotiating his release.

Esther met with a number of Government officials, including the then Minister of Justice, David Libai. At the time Mr. Libai was also the acting Minister of the Interior. Chaim Ramon had been appointed to the task, but had not yet taken office.

Esther explained to Minister Libai the urgent need for Israel to finally grant Jonathan official recognition. She appealed to him as the acting Minister of the Interior to confer with the Prime Minister and to ask the Government to quietly grant citizenship to Jonathan. She also presented him with a signed request from her husband.

Minister Libai was most sympathetic and supportive. He told Mrs. Pollard that he had seen the complete Pollard file and he knows exactly what Jonathan did for Israel and that Israel owes Jonathan a large debt of gratitude. He told her that while he personally would like to grant Jonathan Israeli citizenship, he felt that no one else in the Government would agree to it.

Minister Libai explained to Mrs. Pollard, Much attention has been given to the public nature of Jonathan Pollard's fight for official recognition by the Government of Israel, and few of the behind the scenes episodes are known. Here is a significant one:

Jonathan Pollard did not originally plan a public campaign for Israeli citizenship. Instead, in the Spring of 1995, he sent his wife, Esther, to Jerusalem to quietly share with the Government the conclusions of the Weintraub Report on Parole and to impress upon them the need to extend Israeli citizenship to him as a basis for negotiating his release.

Esther met with a number of Government officials, including the then Minister of Justice, David Libai. At the time Mr. Libai was also the acting Minister of the Interior. Chaim Ramon had been appointed to the task, but had not yet taken office.

Esther explained to Minister Libai the urgent need for Israel to finally grant Jonathan official recognition. She appealed to him as the acting Minister of the Interior to confer with the Prime Minister and to ask the Government to quietly grant citizenship to Jonathan. She also presented him with a signed request from her husband.

Minister Libai was most sympathetic and supportive. He told Mrs. Pollard that he had seen the complete Pollard file and he knows exactly what Jonathan did for Israel and that Israel owes Jonathan a large debt of gratitude. He told her that while he personally would like to grant Jonathan Israeli citizenship, he felt that no one else in the Government would agree to it.

Minister Libai explained to Mrs. Pollard,

"Granting Jonathan citizenship, would be tantamount to admitting that Israel sent him to spy. Israel will never admit that. It is out of the question. I'm sorry."

Left with no choice, Jonathan submitted a formal request for citizenship. His request was turned down - in a large part because of the intensive behind the scenes lobbying and negative publicity generated by Amnon Dror, Nancy Luque and colleagues.

Jonathan appealed to Israel Supreme Court. In November of 1995, the Government of Israel granted Jonathan Pollard Israeli Citizenship. In May of 1998, the Government of Israel admitted that Jonathan Pollard was a bona fide Israeli agent.