Dershowitz: Sharon and Jews to Blame for Pollard's Continued Imprisonment

Source: Israel Television Channel 2
Justice4JP Release - June 8, 2005

Alan Dershowitz, renown American attorney and a long-time supporter of justice for Jonathan Pollard, told Israel's Channel 2 today that Prime Minister Sharon and the Jews are to blame for Jonathan Pollard's continued incarceration.

Asked about the Israeli ambassador's recent prison visit to Pollard, Dershowitz responded that Pollard was right to be angry about the empty gesture. The attorney blasted Prime Minister Sharon for "sending the wrong people to speak to the wrong people."

Dershowitz criticized Sharon for failing to send anyone to speak with the American Jewish Senators to gain their support. He pointed a finger at Senator Joseph Lieberman, who spearheaded the campaign to convince the President to keep Pollard in prison, as a prime example of Sharon's negligence. Dershowitz stated that he sees no hope of Pollard's release as long as the Jewish Senators are not on board.

In another recent interview in Canada last month, Dershowitz called upon the Government of Israel to grant Jonathan Pollard PoZ status. "The courts have been very unfair to him. Israel should declare him to be a Prisoner of Zion," Dershowitz told the [Toronto] Jewish Tribune. Pollard is currently suing in Israel's Supreme Court to compel the government to grant him PoZ status. His petition demonstrates that he meets all of the qualifications under the law for PoZ status and the document also details shocking examples of the cruel and unusual punishment that he has been subjected to in American prisons over the last 2 decades.

Click here to see the video of Alan Dershowitz interview on Israel Channel 2 - [Language: English]