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Jonathan Pollard, 'very pro-Israel'
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Lindenstrauss
Photo: Gil Yohanan

Pollard's dad thanks MKs

State Comptroller Micha Lindentstrauss reports to Knesset State Control Committee on government efforts made to free Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. Agent's father Morris attends meeting, thanking MKs for their effort

The Knesset's State Control Committee met on Monday for a follow up report by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss on efforts being made to free Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, who has been incarcerated in the US since 1985.

 

Pollard's father Morris, who came to Israel to take part in a conference on cancer, was invited to the meeting by the Lindenstrauss himself.

 

During the meeting MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union-NRP) told Pollard, "We are brothers, one family. We take full responsibility for the situation Yonatan (Jonathan) is in".

 

Pollard thanked the Knesset members "for everything you've done for him," and MK Arie Eldad (National Union-NRP) replied, "Pollard worked for us, we owe him every single day. No one deserves to be thanked for what we have done, furthermore, we have failed in the final result."

 

Telling the MKs more about his son, Pollard said, "Jonathan is the most brilliant man I have ever known…He is a much stronger person than his parents."

  

After his son was arrested, Pollard said, he did not understand what he had done wrong. "He told me he didn't understand what was wrong, 'what's so bad about warning an ally of danger?' he asked. I told him I didn't know."

 

Last December the State Control Committee asked State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss to prepare a brief on the actions taken by the various Israeli governments over the years to advance Pollard's release.

 

Since then, varius government bodies, including the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Ministry, have been divulging information on the matter to the state comptroller.

 

Lindenstrauss detailed the inqury process, saying, "So far, we have questioned up to 25 ministers and MKs. All prime ministers that have been in office in recent years have appeared before us for talks and examinations. Afterwards we also met with MKs and received detailed, specific reports from them regarding efforts made by the Israeli government to have Pollard released."

 

The comptroller added that "we also received a detailed letter from the prime minister himself…other than that we received close to 500 documents, boxes full of material that we are working through. I have appointed the State Comptroller's Office's most senior team to deal with this issue".

 


פרסום ראשון: 11.03.08, 13:30
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