Jonathan Pollard's U.S. Incarceration/Freeing Shouldn't Be Compared to Arab Terrorists

I think it's a very serious mistake to connect the demand for the United States' releasing Jonathan Pollard with the American pressure on Israel to release murdering terrorists.

Peace between Israel and the Palestinians requires the active involvement of the United States, as evidenced by Secretary John Kerry’s intensive efforts to bring the parties together.  But if peace is in our national interest, as the Obama Administration insists it is, and if peace requires sacrifice by both Israel and the Palestinians, then we too must be willing to give a little.  Releasing Jonathan Pollard after requiring him to serve 27 years, some in solitary confinement, is not much of a sacrifice to ask of the United States.  It is the least we can do to make it easier for Israel to make far greater sacrifices and take far more dangerous risks in order to secure peace.
The request to release Pollard now has bipartisan support in the United States and multi-partisan support in Israel.  Knesset members on all sides of the Israeli political spectrum have called for Pollard’s release as a way of encouraging the peace process.  “It’s a window of opportunity of good will to Israeli, who are not going through an easy time,” said Labor MK Nachman Shai.  “It would build up public support for negotiations and show that the US also understands the gravity of this historic moment.” (Alan Dershowitz writing for algemeiner)

Such a connection equates Pollard with terrorists making him appear guilty of things he never did.

On the other hand, I do think that the entire Jonathan Pollard issue and story provide an excellent example of why we Israelis, from ordinary citizens like myself to the government officials and Prime Minister should not trust the United States.

The United States is not a neutral, objective mediator when it comes to Israel.  There is an underlying anti-Semitic, anti-Israel sentiment in all levels and branches of the American Government, whether legislative, judicial or executive.  That means Congress, Courts and the President of the United States treat Jews and pro-Israelis differently from other citizens.

"Unprecedented" is the usual adjective used to describe the punishment meted Jonathan Pollard for giving information to an ally.  That means that in the history of the United States Judicial System, never ever before has someone been punished to such an extreme for such a crime.  Enemy spies have received much shorter and less severe restrictions.

This fact should be a red flashing light for Israelis that there's an anti-Israel agenda in the American Government.  Over the close to three decades already since Pollard was handed over to the American authorities by Israel, there have been many Presidents who could have released and pardoned Pollard, but they haven't.  And that would have been a good, legitimate, pragmatic, sensible reason to reject all American pressure.  Call a spade a spade, an anti-Semite an anti-Semite and an injustice an injustice.  The United States Government can't be trusted to do or support what it good for the State of Israel.   It's a fact!!!

Bibi, it's not too late.  Send the Israeli delegation home immediately!