The Committee for Pollard: A window of hope: the President is coming to hear the people of Israel

Justice4JPnews - March 14, 2013

Effi Lahav, the Campaign Manager for the Release of Jonathan Pollard: "All the Israeli people feel the pain of every additional day that Pollard continues to languish in prison serving an unprecedented and grossly disproportionate life sentence."

"That not withstanding, the Committee appreciates the response of President Obama, whether with reference to the statements of Senior American Officials who have declared that American Justice obliges the immediate release of Jonathan Pollard, or whether with regard to his awareness of the request of the Israeli people to commute Pollard's sentence to the 28 years he has already served because his sentence is grossly disproportionate when compared with others who have committed similar offenses."

Because there is a real feeling that President Obama is coming to Israel to hear the voice of the Israeli People and to hear the heartfelt position of its leaders, The Committee for Jonathan Pollard urges the public to continue to sign the Pollard Petition which will be delivered to President Obama during his visit.

The petition can be signed at www.PollardNow.org. Some 165 thousand people have already signed and the numbers keep rising daily.

Next Tuesday evening March 19, at 6:30 PM, on the eve of President Obama's visit to Israel, we will turn to President Shimon Peres to ask him to represent the People of Israel and be our emissary to hand-deliver the People's petition for Pollard to President Obama.

We are hoping and praying that President Obama will see fit to respond positively and soon to the requests of Secretaries of State Kissinger and Shultz, former CIA Chief James Woolsey as well as many senior American security officials and legislators - many who previously opposed Pollard's release- and who are now calling for it. They say that his continued incarceration is a great injustice.

As Israeli citizens, we chose to focus, along with Jonathan and Esther Pollard, on our simple request for compassion and mercy.

We hope that the President will lend a willing ear to all of the requests, whether for justice or mercy, and act to bring a swift end to this tragic affair.