NEW YORK, December 18, 2014 --- The
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is strongly declaring that
President Barack Obama, who has this week freed three convicted spies
who spied for an enemy regime, Cuba, must free Jonathan Pollard, who
spied for an American ally, Israel.
The ZOA further notes that
one of the convicted spies freed by President Obama was responsible for
the murder of an American citizen and that all three have served only 13
years for their crimes on behalf of an enemy state, whereas Jonathan
Pollard has been imprisoned for 29 years for spying for an American
ally.
ZOA National President
Morton A. Klein said, "It is remarkable that President Obama, who has
been repeatedly urged by U.S. officials who held responsibility at the
time for national security and intelligence matters to free Jonathan
Pollard, has refused to do so.
"Conversely, he has shown
himself, this week, to be willing to free three convicted men who spied
for a long-term enemy state, Cuba, including one man who was responsible
for death of an American national. Where is the logic and justice in
that?
"Jonathan Pollard passed on
classified information to Israel, a U.S. ally, not a U.S. enemy. There
was, thus, no treason involved. Pollard pled guilty to the charges and
apologized for his crimes. His crimes did not lead to the death of
Americans, as was once claimed, but rather the espionage activities of
Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen, whose actions came to light only after
the Pollard sentencing, were shown to be responsible for those results.
"Despite, having pled guilty
as part of a plea bargain, Pollard was shown no leniency and was given
the maximum sentence, comparable to that of Aldrich Ames, the chief of
CIA counterintelligence in Eastern Europe, who passed critical defense
secrets to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and was found
responsible for the deaths of at least 11 U.S. agents!
"A host of senior past high
U.S. government officials with responsibility for relevant national
security, international and legal affairs, such as former Secretaries of
State Henry Kissinger and George P. Schultz, former CIA Director R.
James Woolsey, former National Security Advisor Robert C. "Bud"
McFarlane, former Assistant Secretary for Defense Lawrence J. Korb,
former Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams, former Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman David Durenberger, former
Deputy Attorney General Philip Heymann; former White House counsel
Bernard Nussbaum, former Senate Judiciary Committee Member, Dennis
DeConcini, and former U.S. Ambassadors to Israel Samuel Lewis and Thomas
Pickering, have all publicly and in writing stated that Jonathan
Pollard's sentence has been disproportionate and urged President Obama
to pardon him.
"Jonathan Pollard has
already served nearly three decades behind bars, which is by far the
harshest sentence ever meted out for the offense he committed -- the
average term for which is a fine or two to four years' imprisonment.
"If President Obama can free
three spies for a hostile state like Cuba, including a murderer, he can
certainly pardon Jonathan Pollard. He should do so without further
delay."
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