Pollard Excluded From Weekly Knesset Roll
Arutz7 Hebrew News - October 30, 2003
Translated by J4JP - [See Justice4JP Comment below]
A new initiative in the Knesset: Every week at the opening session of Knesset the names of those who fell and were taken into captivity during the course of their service in the IDF will be read. Missing from the list is the name of Israeli agent, Jonathan Pollard, who has been in American captivity for 18 years.
In a new initiative in Knesset, MK Ruchama Avraham approached Speaker of the House, Reuven Rivlin, with a request that the names of Israel's MIAs and Captives be read at the opening session of Knesset each week and that the amount of time that has elapsed since their capture or disappearance be noted.
In response, the spokesperson for the Israeli Activist Movement for Jonathan Pollard, Adi Ginzburg wrote to the Speaker of the House: "This initiative is a most welcome one. Even despite the passage of time and the paucity of initiative to date on behalf of our MIAs and captives (by the Government), objectively speaking, it is nevertheless our duty to remember them at every opportunity and never to forget our obligation to them."
Nevertheless, Ginzburg also added the following comment in his letter: "The proposal of MK Avraham is defective in one respect, the absence of our brother, Jonathan Pollard. Pollard who was acknowledged as an Israeli agent, who has been languishing in prison for 18 years for his activities on behalf of the Nation of Israel, is not included in her proposal. There is no doubt that it is incumbent upon us to remember Jonathan Pollard at every opportunity just as we remember the names of all of those who served the Nation and fell into captivity because of their activities on her behalf."
Ginzburg ends his letter: "It is to be hoped that the initiative of MK Avraham will not create a situation where Jonathan Pollard will be thought of - G-d forbid - as one who is not worthy of being remembered."
"The initiative of MK Avraham focuses exclusively on MIAs and Captives of the IDF in the course of their activities in time of war," Nir David, spokesperson for MK Avraham told Arutz7 Internet journalist Ruti Avraham.
According to Nir, it is worthy to work for the release of Pollard, but it was decided that this initiative would not include the names of those who worked for Israel's security or intelligence agencies, for fear that doing so would sidetrack the initiative in other directions.
A related news item in Arutz7's English News:
Why is Pollard Excluded from Weekly MIA & POW Roll?
Arutz7 News - October 30, 2003(IsraelNN.com) Pollard activists angrily asked Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin why Jonathan Pollard's name is being excluded from a weekly Knesset reminder of the names of our MIAs and POWs.
It was pointed out to Rivlin that Pollard has been acknowledged as a government agent, and as such, such be included in the list of Israeli prisoners.