A Question For Shimon Peres

Some things never quite fade away.  Jonathan Pollard's imprisonment is one of them.  Every once in a while the Israeli public hears that a prominent politician/officeholder will request Pollard's release, and will then expect Pollard to get out and come home to Isarel on the plane with the politician.  And each tme, nothing happens, nothing at all.  Jonathan Pollard is still in jail.

I really wonder if these politicians have ever really made a request, a real sincere request.  How about a strong forceful request... or a demand?

Here's the article I wrote for the most recent edition of Voices Magazine:

 

What I Had Wished I Had Asked Shimon Peres

by Batya Medad

A few weeks ago I was among the hundreds, or was it thousands of attendees at the free “President Conference,” as a guest of the very wealthy supporters of Israel’s President Shimon Peres.  The conference filled Jerusalem’s enormous Binyanei Ha’uma Convention Center. I had to use my color-coded press identification to get into sessions, since they were so packed.

One of the sessions was a special one for bloggers with President Peres.  I managed to get there, but a bit late, when it was half over.  We were offered a chance to ask him questions, but obviously not everyone was called, and I was one of those whose question remained unasked.  So, I’ll tell you about my question.

Just prior to the conference, the news had been filled of hints that President Peres was going to request that American president Barack Hussein Obama would release Jonathan Pollard from prison.  After over twenty five years, even those who considered Pollard guilty of a very serious crime believe that he has served more than any other person convicted of a similar crime.

We must not forget that Peres has been known to state that history is irrelevant, and I have no doubt that he counts on people’s forgetfulness.  None of the articles I had seen mentioned a very crucial connection between Peres and Pollard.  I consider it extremely important that Peres was very involved in the entire Pollard case, because Shimon Peres was Prime Minister of Israel during the time of Pollard’s spying and capture and arrest.

Peres cannot make a very convincing request for Pollard’s release without being honest about his involvement.  Peres, as Prime Minister at the time, had to know exactly what was going on including the fact that the United States Embassy refused to give Pollard and his wife Anne refuge.

Peres as politician and long time Leftist is coated with Teflon.  I think that he’s afraid of what Pollard would reveal about him when released. 

In the meantime, Jonathan Pollard is rotting in an American jail.  Something stinks.