Last week, the Knesset took up the issue of Jonathan Pollard, the American Jew who has been serving a life sentence for spying on the United States on behalf of Israel. Knesset Speaker Benjamin Ben-Eliezer praised the spy as a “true Zionist.” Many members joined the 100,000 Israelis who signed a petition calling for Pollard’s release. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat agreed and said he would nominate Pollard for the prestigious Jerusalem Freedom Award. Pollard’s supporters are hoping this campaign on the eve of President Obama’s trip to Israel will bring attention to the case and lead to his freedom. But they are almost certainly mistaken.
In today’s Haaretz, the paper’s Barak Ravid quotes a “senior American official” as saying that the latest round of public advocacy in Israel on behalf of Pollard is having no impact on President Obama. Though the administration is resigned to being subjected to numerous appeals to release the former U.S. Navy analyst who has been in jail since 1985, none of it is likely to persuade the president to grant clemency to Pollard. Indeed, as the official makes clear, the more Israelis and some American Jews treat the spy like a hero, the less likely Obama or anyone else in a position of authority in Washington is to listen to their appeals. That’s a hard concept for those who are trying to free Pollard to understand but if they are to ever succeed, they must start trying.
As I wrote in the March 2011 issue of COMMENTARY in an in-depth analysis of the case on its 25th anniversary, both sides of the long running argument about Pollard have exaggerated their positions to the point of caricature. Those in the U.S. security establishment have wrongly tried to blame Pollard for American intelligence setbacks at the hands of the former Soviet Union in an effort to justify their desire to continue to make an example of him. But Pollard’s backers have also inflated the value of the espionage that he committed on behalf of Israel while also trying to ignore the far more serious damage he did to the Jewish state by souring relations with its sole superpower ally.
Irrespective of these exaggerations, Pollard committed a crime for which he deserved serious punishment. But after more than 27 years in jail the case for mercy for the spy is stronger than ever. As I wrote two years ago, his sentence was disproportionate to that given any other person who spied for an ally as opposed to an enemy or rival nation. Nor is there any conceivable security justification for his continued imprisonment. But the biggest mistake that his supporters have continually made over the years is to think that his freedom will ever be won by efforts that cast him as a martyr. It was Pollard’s own foolish boasts along those lines in a “60 Minutes” interview and in discussions with Wolf Blitzer (the CNN star was then a Jerusalem Post reporter) that caused the government to trash the plea bargain agreement with the spy and led to his draconian sentence to life in prison.
Praise from the Knesset and awards from the city of Jerusalem merely repeat these mistakes.
What Pollard’s fans don’t understand is that lionizing the spy merely increases the desire of the U.S. security establishment to keep him in prison to set an example that spies are punished, not set free to play the hero. The vengeful attitude toward Pollard may stem in part from hostility to Israel by some in Washington. But it’s hard to blame them for resenting a campaign that treats a U.S. Navy employee who broke his oath and did real damage to the United States as somehow deserving praise.
But the pro-Pollard Jews just can’t seem to help themselves. One of the main lessons of 20th century history for Jews was that they couldn’t afford to be silent in the face of a threat or injustice. Such silence or a reliance on traditional modes of quiet diplomacy failed them in the greatest crisis of modern Jewish history during the Holocaust. A desire not to make the same mistake helped inspire the movements to free Soviet Jewry and to support Israel. It inspired in many Jews an understandable contempt for behind-the-scenes diplomacy or reticence on any issue. But it was that discredited strategy of quiet outreach rather than aggressive advocacy that was always the only formula to help free Pollard.
Had the issue been framed solely on the concept that Pollard was a misguided soul who erred but deserved mercy, he probably would have been out of jail a long time ago. But the attempt to cast him as an American “prisoner of Zion” merely strengthened the hands of those U.S. officials who have always been the roadblock to clemency.
At this point, it’s hard to imagine any circumstance in the immediate future that will lead Obama or his successor to free Pollard. But if there is to be any hope, it must begin with the spy’s supporters dropping any mention of anything but a desire for mercy for a man who has already been severely punished. If they ever want to see him freed, there must be an end to awards or rhetoric about his commitment to Zionism.
I totally believe that it is entirely "hostility to Israel" and to Jews as well that prevents a release of Pollard. Being quiet or being noisy (my preference) may have some effect, but it is not the problem. You have to understand that we, Jews compassionate for the plights of fellow Jews and particularly for those who escaped from the Holocaust, all have some bit of Pollard in us. Jews always gave of themselves to help others in need, Negroes, Indians, the poor in general. We must give some to help ourselves as well. And, in the face of injustice, many heroes of the past have broken or bent the law where injustice was seen in the law. We all, those decent of us, have a bit of the idyllic Pollard in us.
Not me. I never took a security oath and violated it by purloining stacks of top secret documents. I never accepted a uniform and a phony commission in the Israeli Army and failed to ask what this meant, if I was exactly an Israeli citizen (Pollard wasn’t) and, for example, my Israeli handlers would provide me refuge if their operation went sideways. I didn’t adopt a series of operatic public personna including that of Jewish saint. But chiefly I didn’t engage in a long-term massive breach of American security run by the Israeli intelligence services that if exposed was certain to piss the Americans off and then contributed to the exposure by ignoring risks.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15222134/#.UT0SaNFoQrM
I am not Pollard. We are not Pollard. We are going to fwow up.
I’m sorry, but recommending anything from NBC, besides their building being swallowed by a sink hole from heaven, identifies you as unreliable.
You are somewhat screwed up. To reference NBC for anything but garbage collection is a certain giveaway.
Kudos to Jonathan Tobin for a balanced review of the Pollard "situation." In his book on the pollard incident, Wolfe Blitzer–a sleazy opportunist by any standard–suggests that Pollard was something of a fantasist and a bit of a fool. Perhaps so. But there are elements of the Pollard situation that remain troubling and should concern all American Jews. n nBlitzer records in his book that all Jewish employees at the State Department and in the intelligence services were cut out of the loop for a period after Pollard's apprehension. If you had a Jewish name and worked for State, CIA or NSA you were considered a security risk. No such blanket suspicion ever attached to Mormons or Catholics in the foreign and intelligence services on the apprehension of Mormon and Catholic spies for far more serious and damaging breaches of national security during the same period. n nThe role of Caspar Weinberger in the Pollard case is also disturbing. It was Weinberger's keening hysteria and a letter he wrote to the Judge in the case that undid Pollard's plea bargain and condemned him to the harshest sentence possible. Weinberger, raised Episcopalian, was a second generation Jewish convert to Christianity known for his hostility to Israel and his special affection for Saudi Arabia. I am not the first to suggest that Weinberger had a Jewish problem nor to point out that several of the worst breaches in American security occurred on Weinberger's watch as Secretary of Defense. It was Weinberger who for personal an/or professional shame buried Pollard alive. n nThe cruel and unusual official treatment of Jonathan Pollard is in a category with the Crown Heights riots when New York Policemen stood down for three days while blacks rioted in the streets and Hasidic Jewish families cowered defenseless in their homes. Both incidents raise questions about about whether or not American Jews are full and equal citizens. n
Very good. Remember that Weinberger was found guilty of a crime far worse than that of Pollard. He lied in his testimony before a congressional committee. While still Secretary of Defense. No patriotism there. No idealism. Just pure criminality. He was pardoned for his crime and served no time in prison. I understand that he later said he was wrong in the Pollard case. And nothing came out of that confession that benefited Pollard. .And so that is the justice we find in these United States for Jews.
Wrong. Weinberger was charged with a crime, but was pardoned by President Bush (I) before a trial could be held. So he was never convicted of anything and probably wouldn't have been, given the cheap-shot, highly politicized nature of Lawrence Walsh's investigation.
Agree except he was found guilty. Not by a court, but by his own admission. Hence the need for a pardon. The essence of the difference is negligible in what we are talking about here.
No, he was not found guilty. As I explained, there was no trial and hence no finding of guilt or innocence.
if you don't intend to fill your apartment with stacks of highly classified documents your risk remains the risk Pollards fantasies threw your way–the State Department Jewish employees were not the only ones who paid for Pollard's stupidity and Eitan's recklessness. The Mormons and the Vatican are not running intelligence agents. Israel ran Pollard. Some of us hired lawyers as the FBI and other counterintlpro Ahabs ran after the Great White Jewish Mole. n nAll the rest aggravated an error of judgment that was Pollard's and his handlers. n nNot so cruel, not so unusual. In this case Dreyfus was a spy. n nThis is all reminiscent of the man who claimed he had been sacked as a radio announcer because of "anti-s-s-s-s-s-e-e-mi-mi-tism."
Fine fine. Don't forget Nazi war criminals convicted of executing 18 captured allied paratroopers at Normandy were given 9 years. And don't refrain from pointing to Pollard every time some $200 haircut from the White House denounces the Jews for not freeing a thousand or so terrorists and mass murderers from prison. n nPollard to die in prison? Ok. Let's start a concerted effort to so much as HOLD A TRIAL for Major Nidal Hassan of Ft Hood infamy. Let's call for Camp Xray Gitmo to have its gates welded shut for eternity and walk away.
boo hoo. Tell it to Nidal Hasan's handler-recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki who got blown up without a trial being held either. But execution by drone. Pollard of his own free will violated his oath, his terms of employment, and the laws of his country. Did he subsequenlty get screwed over. Maybe. Maybe he shouldn't have given that 60 Minutes interview. Maybe Cap has some Jewish issues. Maybe people were looking to pin the tail on the donkey for the Alrdrich Ames and Robert Hannsen fiascoes. But definitely the first guy that screwed Pollard was Eitan and the second guy was Pollard. It's a little breath-taking that guys want to deduce some fundamental peril for American Jews from a self-confessed felon.
Maybe maybe maybe maybe maybe. Fair enough. Let's start executing jay walkers too. After all the law is the law. I for one have called for years for drunk drivers to be locked up for life as well. Endanger the community pay the price. I'd be fine with the hammer of god coming down on everyone.
Is Washington DC is so anti-Semitic and pro-Muslim it won't even hold a trial for Hasan? Well, it blew up his handler on sheer national security bureacracy inertia. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Personally my collar bone was broken by a car which struck me and my bike to the pavement and sailed merrily away into anonymity. Let that hammer fall.
In order to save money, convicted criminals over 75, those in poor health, and those who are not dangerous and have served two-thirds of their time should be pardoned. It would save millions. Pollard would be one of them. It wouldn't be an issue.
Sorry I have no sympathy for Pollard..not one iota. He knew exactly what he was doing when he was doing it. He betrayed the USA, a country to which he had sworn an oath to serve. Reason, purpose or ineffectiveness, Pollard handed over classified documents to a foreign power. Israel is not, contrary to the anti-Israel crowd, the 51st state of the USA. It is a separate and distinct nation. Is his sentence disproportionate? Yes, no or maybe, it doesn't matter. Not all sentences are equal in our justice system. It is time for Pollard's supporters here in the USA to get some priorities. Pollard is an American traitor. If you want to help Israel, spend your time trying to stem the tide of Obama's anti-Israel policy, which most certainly will end up with Israel drawn into a horrible conflict, instead of wasting political capital on this Pollard crap.
I believe that Jonathan Pollard should be released at this point. Whatever will be effective at gaining his release should be undertaken. Of course what he did was wrong, but to keep him in jail after 27 years seems to me to be cruel and unusual punishment.
I suspect that Tony Rezko will get pardoned long before Pollard.
I think those that infer anti-Semitic or anti-Israel against those that oppose leniency for Pollard are missing the boat. As a retired Navy officer, I’ll note that my private opinion is that we should support Israel in *every* way possible up to and including a strike against Iran to prevent the nut cases from acquiring nuclear weoapons.
However as an alumnus of both our Submarine force and the Office of Naval Intelligence, I am outraged that Pollard thought he could commit a gross violation of both his oath and duty to protect classified information. That SOB should be locked in solitary for the rest of time as an example to *every* other low life that might think that they individually have a right to decide by themselves what secrets they are obligated to keep.
Best Regards,
I think the consensus is that Pollard never had trial, n nhe had plea agreement which was vacated, n nand that his punishment is excessive, when compared to sentence recieved by individuals who sold informtion to our enemies, n nand may have caused more damage. n nThank you for your service, Capt.
1. Most important, thank you for your service. n n2. Pollard was sentenced at the tame time as the Walker family members were to lesser sentences after having done more damage and after a difficult trial. Perhaps that's the way to look at the injustice of the Pollard sentence.
Excellent post. If Pollard had honored his solemn oath he wouldn't be in prison today. Whatever the arguments in favor of clemency, they do not and must not include approval of or excuses for his actions. The truth is that Pollard owed one hundred percent of his loyalty to the United States of America. To cast him as a hero or a martyr is really an insult to all those whose service to country has been honest and faithful. I'm not opposed to clemency for Jonathan Pollard. But he's no hero and I'd be outraged to see him treated as such, either here in the US or in Israel.
right on.. the argument that fidelity to Israel means a willingness to violate the laws of the United States of America astounds this old pooch. on several contracts with the government I was obligated to protect the privacy of confidential unclassified information and agreed not to release it. that someone thought he was a one man declassification board to divert a top secret data stream to Israel is mind bending. America is not Nazi Germany and Jews don't have the right of "resistance".
He may not be a hero or a martyr, by conventional standards, but he in no way compares to criminals who have shot people or raped people or chopped off people's arms (many examples of whom have gotten out of prison much sooner than 27 years, e.g. that guy in California who raped that girl hitchhiker, then chopped off her forearms and left her for dead). He didn't hurt a single person physically, and there's no evidence that he harmed the United States, so throwing the book at him just because Israel was involved seems rather suspicious and highly imbalanced, don't you think?
No, I don't think so. Pollard put up his hand and swore an oath. No one forced him to do that, and no one forced him to violate his oath by giving up classified information to a foreign power. That it was Israel and not, say, China is a point worth consideration in any decision over clemency, but it does not affect the fact that he betrayed his trust and dishonored his oath. As I said, I'm not opposed to clemency for Jonathan Pollard. But clemency is not an entitlement. Pollard deserves to remain in prison—that's what he signed up for when he put his convictions ahead of his duty. If he does receive clemency, it's because we are a clement people, not because he's a hero. On no other grounds can his release be tolerated.
For Christ's sake. Every politician puts up his hand and swears an oath. Then many if not most of them proceed to plunder the public treasury for the benefit of friends and supporters, and lie through their teeth, and betray their country in other ways. n nThis guy is obviously in prison because he was made an example of, not because he deserves such a long term for what he did. n nIt's easy to be high and mighty when you see the world in black and white. Unfortunately, the world is not that way.
The example was deserved and the hand inscribing it was Pollard's.
Let me ask you: Do you really think that an argument like that is going to help Pollard? It certainly doesn't sway me, and I'm not opposed to clemency for him. However, having served in the US Army for thirty years, I happen to think that the oath Pollard swore was a very big deal, and that it did present him with a black-and-white choice. He’s in prison not because anyone wants to make an example of him but because of the choice he made. That’s the bottom line. Please bear in mind that there are plenty of people like me—not against releasing him, friends of Israel—who find arguments like yours repugnant.
I am not part of the “US security establishment” and you would have to look far and wide to find a more pro-Israel American, and I find it easy to understand why US officials,especially intelligence officers, believe Pollard’s offenses were as egregious as those of Ames or Hanssen, despite the fact that Pollard was spying for an ally. You do not have to assume any “hostility toward Israel.” One reason, of course, is that an oath should matter, and a crime is a crime. If that were the only reasonm there would be room for mercy. But there is another — well known to everyone like Pollard who handled highly secret information.
Intelligence agencies like CIA, KGB, Mossad or MI-6, collect intelligence covertly in a variety of ways. They run “false flag” operations, something KGB was particularly fond of, precisely to dupe targets into thinking they are engaged in more benign spying. As we know from the infamous cases of Philby and the Cambridge group, by penetrating one hostile intelligence service, they can tap into secrets of nations allied to that service. Frankly, it would be ridiculous to think that Soviet services had not penetrated Mossad long before the 1980s. Even if that were not so, Americans trusted with secrets had to assume it.
In addition, Americans strongly supportive of Israel surely understand that while our interests converge and overlap in many ways, they are still not identical. There was a huge amount of mutually beneficial
intelligence sharing between the US and Israel for two decades before Pollard (not to mention political and military cooperation), so that Israel’s running a penetration agent in the heart of the US military was an extraordinarily hostile act by an ally.
All that said, I agree that Israeli’s and others would better serve Pollard by framing a case for a degree of clemency based on time served, sincere regret by Pollard, and conduct as a prisoner. As long as they take the line that what he did was no big deal because Israel is an ally, he will stay in prison.
As an American Jew, I feel Pollard was caught and convicted of a crime and sentenced under the U.S. legal system, with all of its attributes, both fair and unfair. The sentence must be served unless it is commuted by a president. I am ambivalent about that.
As a Zionist, I feel the issue is Israel’s to deal with. If Israel wants him freed that badly, it is Israel responsibility to do what it must to secure his freedom. I do not blame the US for not doing so. Although I feel it is each country’s job to protect it’s spies, they will only do so when it is politically expedient to do so. I do not get the sense that Isreal considers Pollard worth the political capital that would be required to free him. That is Israel’s decision.
It seems to me that the US has traded spies for spies in the past and probably still does. Pollard could perhaps be traded for any of the dozens, if not hundreds of U.S. spies in Israel and spying on Israel. When caught, US spies are reportedly simply expelled.
But I don’t believe Israel, as a state, is interested in pursuing the issue. If the value of Pollard’s freedom exceeded the political cost of freeing him, the foregoing would have happened years ago.
27 years, going on 28. For giving (not selling) U.S. secrets to an ally (not an enemy). No harm whatsoever has been done to the United States as a result of his actions, unless you count Israel being better informed as a bad thing. n nMeanwhile, armed bank robbers, rapists, and manslaughterers get 10 to 20, out in 12 on good behavior. Some get out sooner on a plea. And they quite often go back to violent crime. n nPollard may have "deserved" some kind of punishment for violating oaths and laws, but what he did in no way compares to that of a murderer or rapist.
Accounts are that he was primed with $10,000 and a diamond and thereafter received $1,500 a month. Possibly a psychological hook to emphasize his indebtedness to his handlers, but all the same….
He is being punished for change of allegiance. Double allegiance was anathema and with more people all over the world getting multiple citizenship, to keep him in jail is becoming more offensive by the day. But to be a Jew is a prime target for an antisemite like Weinberg. In one way, Weinberg believes that he had to prove that he was a real American patriot.
Watsa46, I agree with your idea about charge of allegiance. I do not know which Testament teaches that you cannot serve two masters. I believe in my heart of hearts that the season is true. For an American citizen to choose to serve another master, to change allegiance, becomes the problem that can profoundly harm so many others.
The lesson is true.
Too bad he wasn't a dual citizen. He just stole classified information as a 100 percent American and gave it to Israel. One allegience, one employer, and an additiional paymaster for contraband.
The U.S. government, spearheaded by Weinberger, grossly violated its plea agreement with Pollard and was guilty of extremely dirty tactics. The result is that Pollard has spent far more time in prison, and often been purposely mistreated there, than even people who spied for the Soviet Union and our other enemies. n nThe next time the U.S. demands Israel release a pack of Arab murderers or wanna-be murderers, it should reply that it will consider doing so only after the U.S. releases Pollard.
It should not be forgotten that the judge who sentenced Pollard was Aubery Robinson, appointed to the bench by Jimmy Carter on the recommendation of DC's "shadow senator" at the time, Jesse Jackson. During the same time frame another judge sentenced the Walker family to a set term of 25 years after they gave secrets to the Soviet Union. This was after a difficult trial for the government in contrast to the guilty plea of Pollard. n nThe only time Democ-rat judges seem to mete out tough sentences are when weak defendants are before them.
This is an excellent piece, but it may have overlooked a central point. n nFor Republican and Democratic administrations alike, Pollard cannot be a special case. He is simply a traitor. That he gave our secrets to Israel means nothing. If he gave them to Jamaica or Ireland would also make no difference. The recipient is irrelevant. n nPollard's treason, and the work of his defenders, plays into the notion that an Israel First lobby has distorted our nation. The claim of dual allegiance plays loud and hard. To claim that Pollard is 'less' a traitor because he gave our secrets to Israel is to fulfill the view of those who believe that American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to America. n nPollard's defenders would be in a MUCH stronger position if Israel had REFUSED Pollard's material, and turned him over to the American authorities. Alas, they did no such thing. n nPollard should not have betrayed our country. Israel should not have accepted his secrets. If a friend loses his wallet, you don't remove all the 20s before returning it. Israel should have called the cops — and Pollard will never overcome that problem.
What is the most important of your allegiances? What is the being, corporate body, political entity, religious enterprise to which you pledge? Or, in the sad case of Jonathan Pollard, who can you entreat or entrap into paying your way?
Rafael Eitan recruited Pollard and the wallet. To defend Pollard by depicting him as a martyr and a Prisoner of Zion is a mind-blowing miscalculation.
The Walkers were also traitors who gave more egregious secrets, not to an ally but to the Soviet Union. They received "only" 25-30 years, not life, and some of them are free today. their sentence was meded out after a difficult trial and there was no conviction but a guilty plea and violated plea bargain. Not a pardon but a sentence commutation is being sought. n nTHAT's the issue here.
None of this would have happened if Israel had refused Pollard's treasonous overtures, and called the cops. n nI suspect that one of the many reasons why Pollard is still in jail is because his patron Israel did NOT behave like an ally. It behaved like an enemy. n nHad Israel behaved properly, it would have called the cops, notified the FBI, and never accepted Pollard as a spy — much less have paid him $thousands to continue to spy. n nInstead, as you say, Israel behaved just like the old Soviet Union. An earnest apology, and complete accounting, from Israel is required before our nation will ever forgive a traitor — and those who abetted him. n nWe expect our enemies to spy on us. But our friends? That's quite another matter, and even more repulsive.
had Pollard succeeded in his effort to sell US secrets to Pakistan, perhaps the crazies among the Israelis would not be as zealous in their idiocy. n nPollard is not going to be granted clemency , but might become eligible for parole in 2015.
who sits on the parole board? In movies like The State Within somebody behind the scenes *always* puts the kabosh on it.
who sits on the parole board? n nI'm not really sure but unfortunately for Pollard it's probably limited to US citizens. n nmore seriously, I'm unsure because the parole of federal prisoners was pretty much phased out and now only those convicted in 1987 or earlier are still eligible. n nthere used to be a regular set of officials appointed to the US Parole Commission and I'm not sure if it still is operative or if other, ad hoc arrangements are made as necessary.
Yes, treason. Pollard betrayed his country. He provided his country's secrets to a foreign power. He exposed his country's military operations to a foreign operative. He did all this is specific contradiction of his sacred oath to America. n nThe recipient of these secrets is of zero consequence. It is not what he did FOR Israel. It is what he did AGAINST America. n nAmerica comes first, my friend. Always has. Always will. n nAnd as I said before, if Israel had REFUSED to accept Pollard's material, and simply called the cops, none of this would have happened.
"Yes, treason. * * * It is not what he did FOR Israel. It is what he did AGAINST America. " n nSo you are saying the law is irrelevant, and that he should be punished for a crime he was never charged with, was not convicted of, and did not commit. And punished more severely than others who actually did commit the crime, and who cost the lives of American agents by doing so? Sorry, that makes your protestations of neutrality very difficult to credit.
What are you talking about? He was convicted by his own admission and consent. He did it to avoid a trial that would have been damaging to him, and deeply embarrassing to Israel. n nHe pleaded GUILTY. He IS guilty. No one (with the possible exception of you) denies it. Pollard himself admits it. n nOn June 4, 1986, Pollard pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deliver national defense information to a foreign government. Prior to sentencing, speaking on his own behalf, Pollard stated that while his motives "may have been well meaning, they cannot, under any stretch of the imagination, excuse or justify the violation of the law, particularly one that involves the trust of government… I broke trust, ruined and brought disgrace to my family." n nHe pleaded GUILTY, having betrayed his own country and sold its secrets to another. n nPollard knew he was going to jail. The only question was for how long. He pleaded guilty because is IS guilty. n nNone of this would have happened if Israel had refused Pollard's treasonous overtures, and called the cops. Strange you don't mention that.
You have not quoted the part where he pleaded guilty to reason. Or was convicted of treason. Or charged with treason. Talking with you is a waste of time.—
Answering you may be a greater waste of time. Your feeble efforts to defend Pollard's treachery suggest that you have a strange notion of loyalty to our country. n nPollard betrayed his country. He delivered our secrets to a foreign power. Israel is an independent, foreign power. It is not the 51st state. n nWas this "high treason"? No. You ask the wrong question. It was treason for money. It was treason in consequence of a divided loyalty. It was treason for selfishness. n nPollard could have gotten life had he been found guilty at trial. He pleaded guilty. He is guilty today. You may attempt to excuse his treachery. Patriots do not. n nNone of this would have happened if Israel had refused Pollard's treasonous overtures, and called the cops. n nHad Israel behaved properly, it would have notified the FBI and never accepted Pollard as a spy — much less have paid him $thousands to continue to spy on us. n nAn earnest apology, and a complete accounting, from Israel is required before our nation will ever forgive a traitor — and those who abetted him. n nWe expect our enemies to spy on us. But our friends? That's quite another matter, and even more repulsive. Perhaps no one told you this.