Unanswered questions
The story of Jonathan Pollard and his 30-year jail term will be the source of much talk this weekend. The airwaves will be filled with an ocean of words. The affair has many layers to it, not all of which have been fully scrutinized, and there are still lingering questions. This Jewish American, who is set to be released on parole Friday but will not be able to travel to his ancestral homeland, is part of a never-ending saga.
Just when you think everything has already been said about this affair, something new pops up. Three years ago, his chief handler, former MK Rafi Eitan, revealed that a day before his arrest in 1985, Pollard was concerned that the FBI was on to him. He alerted the Israelis but they did not lift a finger. Eitan revealed this on my show on Channel 1, Erev Hadash. I inquired further about this matter, having sensed Eitan was about to divulge more details, but he hit the brakes. "I have already said too much," he said. Perhaps we will never find out how things unfolded 30 years ago.
A long list of questions, including on the most cardinal matters, remains. Here is a reminder of what has not been resolved:
Why did then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres promise then-U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz that Israel would divulge any information it had about the espionage affair, when it occurred on American soil? Why did the Israeli government leave the damage control to a committee whose members, however distinguished, lacked the necessary expertise? Why didn't the government let the experienced attorney general and State Attorney's Office handle the affair when it broke? Was it because the government was still angry over law enforcement's heavy-handed approach to the Bus 300 Affair (in which the Shin Bet security agency carried out extra-judicial killing of terrorists)?
There are also unanswered questions on the American side: Why did the Americans fail to deliver on their pledge to free Pollard after 10 years? What did then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger write in the secret memo he submitted just before Pollard's sentencing? And why was it falsely reported that Pollard shared classified information with the Soviet Union, even though Dr. Aviem Sella, Pollard's recruiter, told Pollard he must refrain from any action that might damage U.S. interests? Considering the fact that even the U.S. can confirm this directive, why then, has it not dropped all charges against Sella (who was indicted by a federal grand jury in absentia)-
Israel still has some explaining to do on a political and sociological level. Israel acted reasonably when it owned up to its role, but why did it turn Pollard, whose recruitment and actions were primarily Israel's fault, into a national hero and role model? Pollard not only damaged relations with the United States, one of our dearest friends, but also inflicted harm on American Jews. The damage control that Israel engaged in after he was exposed may have helped avert more damage, but it is still unclear what steps were taken in that regard.
About a year after Pollard was arrested, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir was asked to do what he could to help Pollard, even if that meant paying lip service to the ongoing efforts to release him. Shamir, who was a man of steel, replied that states occasionally send their spies on missions that may culminate with their death or long imprisonment. Others were more active in their efforts, primarily because they were angry over what they felt was an excessive prison sentence -- far harsher than the punishments imposed on spies who caused real damage to the U.S., including those who had snitched on American agents. Pollard provided Israel with meaningful intelligence, but he did not hurt America in any way.
We are now just embarking on the journey to discover the hidden details of the affair that caused so much damage to Israel's relations with the U.S. and its Jewish population.
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