Livni promises Fogel daughter to push for Pollard
Gil Hoffman - The Jerusalem Post - March 17, 2011
Opposition leaders pledges to Tamar Fogel, whose family was murdered in Itamar terror attack that she will work to release the Israeli agent.
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni made a pledge to 12-year-old orphan Tamar Fogel on Wednesday to work to bring about the release of Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard.
Tamar's parents, Ehud and Ruth, and three of her siblings were brutally murdered at their home in Itamar Friday night. Livni made the promise on a visit to the family, which is sitting shiva at the home of Ruth Fogel's parents in Jerusalem's Arnona neighborhood.
Pollard's wife Esther visited the shiva house earlier and presented teddy bears from her husband to Tamar and her two surviving siblings. Tamar showed the bear to Livni and asked her to take action on behalf of Pollard, who has served more than 25 years of a life sentence.
Livni responded that she has worked to bring about Pollard's release and would continue to do so. She commended Tamar for her selflessness.
"Despite all your pain, you are thinking about the pain of others," Livni told Tamar. "This is heartbreaking and amazing."
Livni's associates recalled that as foreign minister, she urged American officials to release Pollard in gratitude for the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. She told the Knesset two months ago that Pollard's fate was an apolitical issue.