Ministers: Let Pollard out of jail
Limor Livnat, Daniel Hershkowitz decry 'disproportionate punishment' for Jonathan Pollard while Facebook users flood US embassy's page with criticism. 'Even those who spied for al-Qaeda were released after 10 years,' says one
"I know the prime minister worked hard for the past week in order to get permission for Pollard to get out and see his sick father," said Minister Limor Livnat ahead of a weekly Cabinet meeting.
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"Unfortunately the request was not granted and now that his father has passed away a special effort is being made to allow him to attend the funeral. I really hope the US administration shows minimal humanity in order to let him out of prison after 26 years to be at the funeral."
An aide to Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed he has asked the Obama administration to give Pollard leave to attend the funeral.
Minister Daniel Hershkowitz said it was time to release the man convicted of espionage. "I think there is a limit to the imperviousness on the issue of Pollard," he said.
"The man has been rotting in an American prison. Even in comparison to states that have been hostile it lacks proportion. His mother passed away and he was not allowed to see his father before his death, too."
Hershkowitz went on to say that Pollard had received "disproportionate" punishment. "I want to remind everyone that he was not acting against the US but rather to obtain information on terrorists," he said.
The minister also addressed the issue of the upcoming flotilla to Gaza, saying he hoped it would be canceled. "It appears that the chances for the flotilla are steadily lessening, and I hope the organizers come to realize it won't help them," he said.
Recently the Turkish Marmara vessel canceled its participation in the flotilla, scheduled to set sail later this month.
Facebook protest targets US embassy
But ministers were not the only ones pressing the US for a prison leave for Pollard. Since the death of his father, Facebook users in Israel and abroad have posted a deluge of comments on the US embassy's page with pleas to the same effect.
The comments are mostly in response to a totally unrelated status posted by the embassy, offering users tickets to a Fourth of July party. "How can you celebrate when you refuse such a simple humanitarian request?" one Facebook user asked.
Many also mentioned prisoners who were released despite terror and security-related crimes. "Even those who spied for al-Qaeda were released after 10 years," another user said.
A protest has also been scheduled for 7 pm Sunday at the embassy in Tel Aviv, planned by the campaign for Pollard's release in Israel, who say they have never received so much support.
"We expect a large number of protesters to show up. We’re getting a lot of calls," a source from the campaign told Ynet. "There has never been such support for an issue on the part of people who are hurting, from all parts of the population who, with all sympathy for the US, feel strangled."
PM addresses cottage cheese prices
Sunday's Cabinet meeting was also host to a recent consumer flare-up, the price of cottage cheese. In a first comment on the matter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged ministers to take up the cause and "find solutions".
Producers say the boycott on cottage cheese, which swept up thousands of Facebook users, caused a drop of more than 20% in sales. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz has proposed importing the product, but the Agriculture Ministry vetoed the suggestion.
Netanyahu also addressed the issue of housing, saying the government would establish a ministerial committee Sunday to try and solve the crisis.
"There is a housing crisis in the country, and young people are being forced to live with their parents and grandparents. Prices are rising because there are not enough apartments in Israel," he said, adding that the government was enacting "historic reform" in marketing in order to begin solving the crisis.
"We will establish a bureaucracy bypass," Netanyahu said.
Aviel Magnezi, AP, and Attila Somfalvi contributed to this report
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