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- User_001
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Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has asked Barack Obama to pardon an American who spied for the Jewish state.
Mr Netanyahu told parliament on Tuesday evening that he received a letter from Jonathan Pollard asking him to openly make an official request for his release.
The letter, read out by Mr Netanyahu, said: "Honourable president, in the name of the Israeli people I am turning to you to request a pardon for Jonathan Pollard.
In Washington, a White House official confirmed receipt of the message and said they would review it.
Pollard, a former US Navy analyst, is serving a life sentence for passing thousands of secret documents about American spy activities in the Arab world to Israel between May 1984 and his arrest in November 1985.
The issue of Pollard, a US-born Jew who was given Israeli citizenship while in prison, has been a thorn in the side of relations between Israel and its main ally Washington.
His arrest sparked a crisis in ties that only ended with Israel promising to end all espionage activities on US soil.
But Israelis say Pollard's punishment and the long-standing US refusal to commute his sentence have been particularly harsh, given that he gave information to a friendly nation.
Israeli prime ministers have repeatedly tried, in vain, to secure Pollard's release.
Mr Netanyahu told parliament on Tuesday evening that he received a letter from Jonathan Pollard asking him to openly make an official request for his release.
The letter, read out by Mr Netanyahu, said: "Honourable president, in the name of the Israeli people I am turning to you to request a pardon for Jonathan Pollard.
In Washington, a White House official confirmed receipt of the message and said they would review it.
Pollard, a former US Navy analyst, is serving a life sentence for passing thousands of secret documents about American spy activities in the Arab world to Israel between May 1984 and his arrest in November 1985.
The issue of Pollard, a US-born Jew who was given Israeli citizenship while in prison, has been a thorn in the side of relations between Israel and its main ally Washington.
His arrest sparked a crisis in ties that only ended with Israel promising to end all espionage activities on US soil.
But Israelis say Pollard's punishment and the long-standing US refusal to commute his sentence have been particularly harsh, given that he gave information to a friendly nation.
Israeli prime ministers have repeatedly tried, in vain, to secure Pollard's release.
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User_001
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Maybe Pollard, a former US Navy analyst, could write one for Private Bradley Manning... since, you know, he's in a dungeon for a far less (if not equal) offense.
I mean, at least Private Manning wasn't passing off coordinates and schematics of NUCLEAR Submarines to FOREIGN governments. I think there's a difference between a video showing a war crime and the gossip between ambassadors and well... NUCLEAR SECRETS!
But, hey, it helps to be a member of "the tribe," now doesn't it?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8239621/Netanyahu-as...
- 1 year ago
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User_001
