|
|
| By IMRA July 18, 2007 |
|
| |
 Bookmark to del.icio.us |
| |
The following is a series of exchanges, presented unedited:
#1 Esther Pollard Op Ed "MK Aryeh Eldad - the new hope of Israel's nationalist camp?"
#2a First response received by IMRA from MK Eldad.
#2b Response received a day later
#3 Jonathan Pollard responds
#4 Second Response by Jonathan Pollard
#1 MK Aryeh Eldad - the new hope of Israel's nationalist camp?
By Esther Pollard - July 16, 2007.
(May be reprinted with appropriate accreditation.)
Our 22 years of experience in dealing with Israeli politicians affords us a unique perspective. More than 2 decades of a life and death struggle for Jonathan's freedom causes our perception to be more acute and our assessment of individual politicians to be far more realistic than the average citizen.
Here is a snapshot from our history book.
It was October 30, 2005. A spontaneous protest vigil had assembled outside then-Prime Minister Sharon's residence in Jerusalem. Inside, Sharon was hosting a banquet to thank ministers and MKs who had helped him to pull off the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif and Northern Samaria.
Outside, I heard one of the Pollard protestors shout, "Hey! Look! Here comes MK Aryeh Eldad!"
Eldad was approaching a group of National Union demonstrators standing near us on the sidewalk. Someone from our group called out to Eldad, "Esther Pollard is here! Come and say hello to her!"
It was clear that greeting me was the last thing Aryeh Eldad had in mind.
Not surprising. In all of the years that Jonathan has been in prison, Eldad has been conspicuously absent from the struggle for Jonathan's release.
Nevertheless, sensing that the situation left him no alternative, Eldad approached me and the following exchange took place:
"Jonathan read in the newspapers that you have just returned from a trip to the US where you were part of an important delegation which met with Congressmen and Senators."
Eldad acknowledged that this was so.
"Jonathan would like to know if you brought the American legislators a copy of the historic Knesset petition signed by 112 Knesset members calling for his release?"
Eldad, defensive, shot back "Of course not! Why should I?!"
"Because," I replied, "you signed the petition, and you are a Knesset member and you were meeting with your legislative counterparts in the US and you yourself criticized PM Sharon for refusing to deliver the petition to Washington, that is why!"
Clearly annoyed, Eldad replied, "Pollard is not my responsibility! I don't have to answer to you!" and with that he turned on his heel and walked away.
I hurried after him, "One more question, please, MK Eldad? Did you at least bring up Jonathan's case in your meetings with the American Congressmen and Senators?"
Eldad replied in the affirmative.
I then asked if he would tell us which American legislators he had spoken with so that I could update Jonathan. His sharp reply came like a slap in the face, "I don't report to you! I don't report to anyone!" he shot back as he hurried away.
The demonstrators who witnessed this exchange expressed shock and dismay at Eldad's rude, dismissive behavior and especially at his refusal to share with Pollard's wife the names of American legislators with whom he claimed to have spoken.
In the years since then, we have repeatedly received reports from those who have tried to engage Eldad on the subject of Jonathan that his unrelenting position is nothing can be done to help Pollard. His excuses -- always spurious -- appear designed to convince people to disengage from Pollard, whom he presents as a lost cause.
After receiving the latest report from Toronto about a conference call in which Eldad essentially blamed Jonathan for his own plight by his refusal 'to pay the price' the US demands for his freedom, Jonathan said to me,"Esther, enough is enough! We must expose the way Eldad is undermining my fight for freedom! We have to speak out!" So we put out a release and gave examples of two separate episodes of Eldad's dissembling which took place months apart. These incidents were told to us by two unconnected and highly-credible sources.
Eldad responded to IMRA about our release, claiming that I had twisted his words. He insisted he never said it was Jonathan who refused to pay the price for his release. It was Israel, he said, which was not willing to pay the price for Pollard's release. If indeed this were true then the whole matter ought to have ended there, because blaming Israel is not news to anyone.
However, what shocked our source so much (and caused them to wait weeks before telling us for fear of upsetting us) was Eldad's insinuation that negotiations are on-going for Jonathan's release and that Jonathan himself is the obstacle! Eldad stated he knew this because he met with Jonathan and claimed that Jonathan admitted as much to him. He made it sound like his conversation with Jonathan had just recently occurred. In fact, Eldad's only conversation with Jonathan took place 4 years ago at a prison meeting in the
Fall of 2003. I was there and can state unequivocally that this allegedconversation never took place. Not then. Not now.
Eldad further claimed in his response to IMRA that he told this person the price Israel is not willing to pay is the exposure of the identity of another spy that it ran in Washington at same time as Jonathan. This is simply not true. Furthermore, Eldad is changing history by incorporating two distinct conversations into one and responding as if they were two
parts of a single encounter. Hardly ethical.
It is deeply troubling that Eldad relies on his reputation as a straight-shooter to breathe new life into the canard - long since laid to rest - that the US is still seeking the identity of another Israeli spy inWashington and refuses to release Pollard until Israel reveals his identity. There are numerous documents available on the J4JP website [www.jonathanpollard.org] debunking this myth.
Why Eldad would even revive such a long defunct and damaging canard raises serious questions. It speaks volumes about the lengths to which he is willing to go to conceal his lack of involvement in the Pollard case all of these years. It is reflective of a desperate attempt to justify his own failure to participate in the rescue of an Israeli agent in captivity by blaming others.
As an MK who aspires to national leadership, Eldad has a compelling moral responsibility to Jonathan Pollard. It is reprehensible that he is using his credibility as a MK instead to advance the fiction that nothing can be done to help Jonathan. It would certainly seem that Eldad's political ambition takes precedence over ethical obligations and that he regards Jonathan Pollard as a political liability.
Our issue with MK Aryeh Eldad is not his obvious unwillingness to be involved in helping Jonathan, but his determination to make sure that no one else does either. If Eldad chooses not to be involved with Jonathan Pollard, so be it. But for him to dissemble, rewrite history, recycle old canards and simply lie in attempt to poison the minds of others is intolerable. We cannot know how many people, over the years, have trusted MK Aryeh Eldad and simply walked away from Jonathan.
The Pollard case is unique. Time has proven that without a doubt this case is the litmus test of any politician's honesty and integrity. Our assessment of Eldad is not new. It is based on his history and track record with us. But it may be new to those in Israel's right wing nationalist camp who are pinning all their hopes on Eldad in the next elections.
Aryeh Eldad's latest efforts to distance himself from Jonathan Pollard may be because he believes his political star is rising. But it should not be at the expense of Jonathan Pollard.
#2a First response received by IMRA:
Dear Aaron
After long and continuous efforts we were successful in organizing a visit by a minister in the Israel Government to Jonathan. He came to me few days before he left for the US and promised me that he will have an official visit. He was really touched by the fact that he will be able to be an official messenger of the government of Israel.
Few days after he came back from the US I met him and asked how was it?
He was really sad when he told me that just before the visit Mrs. Pollard called him, shouted at him and explained to him he is not wanted.
I wonder why Mrs. Pollard tries so hard to post every friend of Jonathan and in his case - as an enemy.
I am not an enemy. I was trying to help, but all my activities are viciously misinterpreted and distorted.
Jonathan Pollard is a national hero among us. He deserves better help.
I will continue to do everything I can for him, actually - for us. We need him here.
Arieh Eldad
2b Response received a day later:
With The Best of Intentions
A Statement by Arieh Eldad
The struggle to free Jonathan Pollard from his unjust prison sentence is led by his wife Esther with the best of intentions.
In the heat of a public campaign, the best of intentions can lead even those who mean well to stray from the correct path. The attempt to portray Jonathan's friends as his enemies is unworthy of his just cause.
Jonathan Pollard has justice on his side but that justice would be best served by cool-headed articulate leadership, rather than the systematic distortions of my words and actions that have been publicized recently.
#3 Jonathan Pollard responds
Statement of Jonathan Pollard: The measure of a friend.
(In response to MK Aryeh Eldad)
Jonathan Pollard
FCI Butner, Butner NC
July 17, 2007
The single most damaging weapon that has been used against me for the last 22 years has been the vilification of my wife, Esther. It is obvious that Esther has never been the real target of these attacks; I am. Those who wish to silence me never attack me directly, they attack Esther.
Aryeh Eldad's response to our op-ed [MK Aryeh Eldad- the new hope of the Israeli nationalist camp?] fails to address any of the substantive issues we raised. Instead, Eldad resorts to ad hominem attacks against my wife.
I run my case and have full control of my affairs by working through Esther. Esther is my voice and my vehicle for action in the outside world. She represents my interests, my position and my words faithfully - and always has.
Eldad's repeated attacks on Esther's character and credibility must be understood as serial attacks on me. His attempts to discredit her in order to deprive a man in my desperate circumstances of the ability to be heard, or to act outside of the prison walls, is morally indefensible. What Eldad suggests would virtually cut my legs cut out from under me, tie my arms behind my back, and silence my voice.
I wish to make it unequivocally clear that I am as much the author as Esther of the op-ed [MK Aryeh Eldad- the new hope of the Israeli nationalist camp?] She wrote it at my request, under my direction, using the points she and I discussed. Before it was submitted for publication, I reviewed it. This is standard procedure for us.
Eldad complains that Esther portrays him as an enemy, when he believes himself to be a friend. Esther and I measure our friends by their actions.
What kind of friend attacks the wife of a man in my circumstances? What kind of friend repeatedly undermines support by claiming that 'nothing can be done to help Pollard'?
What kind of friend systematically discourages others from helping? What kind of friend revives a defunct anti-Israel canard without regard for the damaging consequences to me and to the State?
What kind of friend absents himself from the field of battle for 22 years?
Instead of attacking my wife, undermining our credibility and deterring support for my case, why isn't Eldad raising his voice in Knesset and banging on the table? Why isn't he speaking out in the media about the intolerable abandonment of an Israeli agent whose very life hangs in the balance? Why isn't he lobbying his American counterparts? Why isn't he taking whatever action is necessary to save the life of an Israeli agent in peril?
That is how we measure a friend.
Clarification from Jonathan Pollard Re Eldad Response to IMRA
IMRA ¡V July 18, 2007
#4 Second Jonathan Pollard Response
Jonathan Pollard
FCI Butner
Butner, NC
July 18, 2007
In his letter to IMRA (17 July 2007) MK Aryeh Eldad relates an anecdote in which he claims my wife, Esther, intervened to prevent a minister from visiting me in prison.
Eldad's letter is a good example of how, to quote from our op-ed, he "dissembles, rewrites history, recycles old canards and simply lies in attempt to poison the minds of others."
Eldad is careful to omit names, dates and places to make it difficult to challenge his versions of events. Nevertheless, the falsehoods and fabrications are still obvious. Just to mention a few of them:
Eldad claims he played a role in organizing a prison visit for an Israeli minister. This is not true. He has no standing with the Bureau of Prisons to do so, nor is he a member of the Foreign Ministry staff which liaises with the prison. Eldad has never had any part whatsoever in arranging any of my visits!
Eldad claims that arranging the fictitious visit required" long and continuous efforts". This too is false. Ministerial visits are arranged swiftly and easily as long as the proper application is made in a timely fashion.
-- Eldad does not name the minister he refers to, nor does he mention the date or year. But we can still ferret out the truth from the lies with a little deductive reasoning. If we assume that Eldad is referring to a period of time after 1998 (which was the last time I received a visit from an Israeli minister) then the only minister he might be referring to --- if there is any truth to this story at all-- is the minister that applied to visit me twice within the last 12 months.
- The first time this minister applied, the visit was cleared, all the arrangements were made and at the very last minute, the minister himself cancelled the visit, without any explanation. When asked by a contact of ours (who is a friend of his) why the visit did not occur, the minister falsely accused the prison of withholding clearance!
- The second time this minister applied to visit me he was on his way to the Israel Day Parade in New York when he realized he could kill two birds with one stone. At the last minute, he requested a prison visit, but did not receive immediate approval. Given the logistics involved, it was both inconsiderate and unrealistic to expect the prison to accomodate a visit request that was made virtually overnight.
- Eldad claims my wife called the minister and yelled at him, telling him he was not wanted. This is not true. My wife was never in possession of the minister's telephone number and did not communicate directly with him. Our communication with the minister was solely via the consular representative in Atlanta.
The entire anecdote is woven half-truths, distortions and fabrications. Yet Eldad has the chutzpah to present this as the basis for slandering my wife in attempt to silence me?!
For 22 years I have been fighting for my life with both hands tied behind my back. My ability to soldier on and fight for justice against all odds is a direct function of my wife's credibility as my spokesperson and representative.
To remove any lingering doubt on this score, I wish to make it very clear that as far as I am concerned, Esther speaks for me on all matters pertaining to my case. I also fully intend to defend myself from any attacks directed at me through Esther, regardless as to their origins. |
|
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
