Spies and Lies

ashleykennedy · #1 (**permalink**) 05-04-2007, 01:24 PM

Perfidy: Israel's Role in the Pollard Case
By Esther Pollard May 2, 2007

From a Speech at Midreshet Moriah - April 29, 2007

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Successive Prime Ministers have always maintained that the Government of Israel has done, and continues to do, everything in its power to bring all of Israel's captives home. But is this true? Can we believe our leaders when they tell us that they are doing everything to bring Jonathan Pollard and all of our boys home? Is it even possible to investigate?

Israel's captives, Ron Arad, Tzvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz, Zarcharia Baumel, Guy Hever, Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, and of course, my husband Jonathan Pollard, have been in captivity some for as long as 25 years, and others for a matter of months. We do not know what happened, and what is currently happening to most of our captives and MIAs. We do not know, for the most part, where they are, who is holding them, and what has ultimately been their fate.

http://web.israelinsider.com/Views/11289.htm

An Extravagant Waste

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The Lavi project is one of the most extravagant and wasteful deals the U.S. government carried out with Israel. The aircraft had no value whatever to U.S. defense needs and was built strictly for Israeli purposes, but the U.S. Treasury financed 90 percent of its total $1.5 billion price tag.

Israel turned the U.S. $1.5 billion boondoggle into a bonanza of at least $5 billion for its own coffers, and in the process bit hard the American hand that has been feeding Israel so generously for 40 years. The stolen technology will give China a decided edge over nearby Russia. It will also complicate America's long-standing mission to protect the security of South Korea and Japan.

Confronted recently about the secret and unlawful sale to China, the late Prime Minister Rabin answered limply: "I believe we can explain that."

Even though Yitzhak Shamir, leader of the Likud party, was prime minister when the duplicity began, Rabin could hardly claim innocence. He served Shamir as defense minister while the technology transfer was underway. As former chief of staff of Israeli military services and thoroughly experienced in Israel's intelligence activity, Rabin would almost certainly have been aware of the project.

In selling the technology to China, Israel violated a solemn agreement with the U.S. government. The United States gave the secret technology to Israel during its costly and ill-fated plan to produce a new fighter named the Lavi. It was donated under severe restrictions. The technology could be used only on the Lavi project and under no circumstances transferred to another government.

Midway in the ill-fated Lavi project, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall offered an amendment to eliminate $250 million in funding, arguing that U.S. financing made no sense. If successful, the Lavi would be a direct competitor to the U.S. aircraft industry and take jobs from American workers. Rahall received the support of 39 other congressmen but that constituted less than ten percent of those voting. In a telling demonstration of the efficiency of the U.S. lobby for Israeli interests, those who voted for the Rahall amendment were thoroughly hassled by pro-Israel constituents.

The Lavi affair is not the first time Israel has sold secret U.S. technology to a potentially unfriendly power. Shamir transferred secret data to the Soviet Union that naval intelligence employee Jonathan Pollard, Israel's paid spy, had stolen from U.S. Defense Department files. Shamir made the transfer in an attempt to persuade the Soviet Union to release more Soviet Jews to Israel.

When Pollard was caught red-handed and put in jail, the state of Israel claimed it was a "rogue operation," unknown to officials at the cabinet level. Investigation showed that defense, military and other senior officials were fully informed. Pollard had two official Israeli handlers, and although promising full cooperation in the prosecution of the case, the Israeli government refused to order the extradition of either handler. Both were subsequently promoted—not punished. The Israeli government provided $200,000 toward legal costs encountered by Pollard and his wife.

http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0296/9602019.html

The cost just go up and never come down.

Janglo · #2 (**permalink**) 05-07-2007, 11:47 AM

[quote="ashleykennedy";p="369787"]

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Successive Prime Ministers have always maintained that the Government of Israel has done, and continues to do, everything in its power to bring all of Israel's captives home. But is this true? Can we believe our leaders when they tell us that they are doing everything to bring Jonathan Pollard and all of our boys home? Is it even possible to investigate?

Interesting op-ed piece. I will say that the Jonathan Pollard case is extremely sad. Really more regarding the US than Israel. It's not like Israel hasn't caught members of US delegations trying to recruit Israelis. We just brush it under the carpet. But the US keeps a guy in solitary for 23 or so years over the same thing. Hypocracy is a word the US should look up. But the question is, what should Israel do to set him free ? Release US prisoners in Israeli jails ? No, we simply deport badly behaved Americans. And as for trading terrorists etc for our captured boys, how bad a policy is that ?! It's positive reinforcement of bad behaviour. The US doesn't negotiate with terror groups, but you expect Israel to ?! You think that releasing 3 of our boys is worth releasing thousands of attempted murderers ?!

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