Document: Historic Knesset Petition to Free Pollard

Justice4JP Release - February 24, 2002

Justice4JP Note

In an historically unprecedented show of solidarity, a virtually unanimous Knesset (Israeli parliament) signed a petition to President Bush calling upon him to release Jonathan Pollard.

The petition which was signed by 110 Members of Knesset - every single member of every Jewish political faction (including Arab members ) - is representative of the entire population of the Jewish State. The petition, which was the initiative of MK Michael Eitan (Likud), was signed by all cabinet ministers and deputy ministers as well.

Never before in the history of the State of Israel has any issue received the support and signatures of 110 Knesset members. (Even the overwhelmingly popular Peace Treaty with Jordan did not garner the signature of 110 MKs.)

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon hand-delivered the Knesset petition to President Bush when they met on February 7, 2002. The text of the petition and a list of the 110 MK signees follows below. To date, there has been no response to the petition from the White House.

The Knesset

Jerusalem, February 6, 2002
23 Shvat, 5762

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. President.

We, the undersigned, members of the Israeli Knesset turn to you to seek a positive solution to the Jonathan Pollard case.

We do this solely on humanitarian grounds and are painfully aware that Mr. Pollard violated the laws of the United States.

Jonathan Pollard has already served over sixteen years in prison. We respectfully request that Mr. Pollard's life sentence be commuted to the time he has already served. Such an act of compassion is consistent with the scope of your authority as President of the United States to grant pardons to prisoners under special circumstances.

As you know, Mr. President, Israel stands with you and the American people in the war against terror, and salutes you for your vigilance against the evils of world terrorism that threaten both of our democracies. May God bless America and you as its President.

Respectfully yours,
(signed)

Members of the Knesset:

Speaker


Avraham Burg

In the following pages you will find the names of 110 Knesset members with their signatures. The few who have not signed the letter were out of the country at the time and gave their approval by phone. [

J4JP Note

: These individuals are indicated with an asterisk below.]

Centre Party

  • Yehiel Lasri
  • David Magen
  • Dan Meridor
  • Roni Milo*
  • Nehama Ronen

Likud Faction

  • Moshe Arens*
  • Ze'ev Boim
  • Naomi Blumenthal
  • Michael Eitan
  • Gideon Ezra
  • Tzachi Hanegbi
  • Abraham Hirchson
  • Ayoub Kara
  • Yisrael Katz
  • Uzi Landau
  • Limor Livnat
  • Tzippi Livni
  • Joshua Matza
  • Dan Naveh
  • Reuven Rivlin
  • Silvan Shalom
  • Ariel Sharon
  • Meir Sheetrit
  • Yuval Steinitz

Shas Faction

  • David Azoulay
  • Rabbi Shlomo Benizri
  • Amnon Cohen
  • Yitzhak Cohen
  • Rabbi Nissim Dahan
  • Yitzhak Gagula
  • Rabbi Arieh Gamliel
  • Ofer Hugi
  • Rahamim Melloul
  • Meshulam Nahari
  • Yair Peretz
  • Yitzhak Saban
  • Eli Suissa
  • David Taly
  • Yitzhak Vaknin
  • Rabbi Eli Yishai
  • Nissim Ze'ev

Meretz Faction

  • Prof. Naomi Chazan
  • Ran Cohen
  • Zehava Gal-On
  • Ilan Gilon
  • Hussniya Jaberra
  • Anat Maor
  • Moshe (Mossi) Raz
  • Prof. Amnon Rubinstein
  • Yossi Sarid*
  • Avshalom Vilan

Labour-Meimad Faction

  • Colette Avital
  • Prof. Shlomo Ben-Ami*
  • Binyamin Ben-Eliezer*
  • Eli Ben-Menahem
  • Avraham Burg*
  • Eitan Cabel
  • Dr. Ra'anan Cohen
  • Yael Dayan
  • Dalia Itzik*
  • Yossi Katz
  • Sofa Landver
  • Nawaf Mazalha
  • Rabbi Michael Melchior
  • Efi Oshaya
  • Shimon Peres
  • Ophir pines-Paz
  • Dalia Rabin-Pelossof*
  • Haim Ramon*
  • Avraham Shochat
  • Shalom Simhon
  • Dr. Ephraim Sneh
  • Saleh Tarif
  • Avraham Yehezkel
  • Weizman Shiri

Yisrael Ba'aliya

  • Yuli Edelstein*
  • Gennady Riger
  • Natan Sharansky*
  • Dr. Marina Solodkin

National Religious Party

  • Yigal Bibi
  • Rabbi Haim Druckman*
  • Nahoum Langental
  • Zevulun Orlev
  • Shaul Yahalom

Gesher

  • David Levy
  • Maxim levy
  • Mordechay Mishani

Herut-National Movement

  • Michael Kleiner

The Democratic Choice

  • Roman Bronfman
  • Alexander Tsinker

National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu

  • Uri Yehuda Ariel
  • Eliezer Cohen
  • Rabbi Benyamin Elon
  • Zvi Hendel
  • Avigdor Lieberman
  • Prof. Michael Nudelman
  • Dr. Yuri Shtern

United Torah Judaism

  • Moshe Gafni
  • Rabbi Schmuel Halpert
  • Yaacov Litzman
  • Meir Porush
  • Rabbi Avraham Ravitz

Shinui Faction

  • Victor Brailovsky
  • Yosef (Tommy) Lapid
  • Yehudit Naot
  • Joseph I. Paritzky
  • Avraham Poraz
  • Eliezer Sandberg

Am Ehad

  • Haim Katz
  • Amir Perez

J4JP Note

: A copy of this 16-page petition with the original signatures may be requested from the J4JP office. Contact information is on the J4JP web site.

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