Korb Letter Refutes Accusations Against Jonathan Pollard And Gives Unique Opportunity To Obtain Pollard's Release--Why Isn't Israel Acting?

A former Assistant Secretary Of Defense who worked under Casper Weinberger and has personal knowledge of the Jonathan Pollard case has written a letter urging Obama to release Pollard.

The letter refutes the claim that this has anything to do with secret information or betrayal.

In response--Israel yawns.

Based on an article in the Jerusalem Post about Netanyahu's failure to put Jonathan Pollard's release on the agenda in his talks with Obama, Aaron Lerner writes about the special implications of the Korb letter, the unique opportunity it provides to gain the release of Jonathan Pollard, and Israel's failure to act.

Let's walk through this painfully shocking revelation - as reinforced by the response of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office:


Jerusalem Post reporter Gil Hoffman contacts Mr. Netanyahu's official spokespeople ["officials"] and asks them what the Prime Minister is going to do in the wake of the unprecedented dramatic letter by former assistant secretary of defense Lawrence Korb that utterly undermines the veracity of the two secret affidavits that his boss, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, submitted to the court - the very affidavits that caused the court to violate the terms of the plea bargain and sentence Jonathan Pollard to life behind bars.

In one fell swoop, the Korb letter neutralizes the line of argument ostensibly raised by opponents of Pollard's release that secret information regarding the damaging nature of Jonathan Pollard's activities justifies the life sentence and stands in the way of his release today.

But instead of responding to this dramatic and important news, the Israeli officials leave Hoffman with utterly irrelevant statements.

"Consecutive Israeli governments over more than two decades, including the current one, have raised the issue of Jonathan Pollard's release with the American authorities for humanitarian reasons, and that is our obligation."

The Korb letter has nothing to do with "humanitarian reasons".

Moral? Absolutely.

But what in the world does it have to do with "humanitarian reasons"?

Consider again: What arguments does Mr. Netanyahu's spokesperson say Israel presents to Washington to release Pollard when and if the matter is raised (more accurately, it has, at some meetings in the past, been on the laundry list of topics - not actually discussed but referred to at meetings only to the extent that someone says "please consider the list we have prepared for the meeting")? "Humanitarian reasons".

There are many reasons - even before the Korb letter - that Israel can raise for releasing Pollard that express the Government of Israel's obligation to gain the release of a man detained for his activities as an Israeli agent that go far beyond "humanitarian reasons."

But for the "official" to pull out the old "humanitarian" card when asked what the Prime Minister is going to do in the wake of the dramatic Korb letter is nothing less than for the official to say that the official expects nothing to be done.

This is not only painful news. It is embarrassing news. An embarrassment for the Government of Israel and the People of Israel.

So where do we go from here?

On the domestic front, there is nothing easier than for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to pick up the ball and show that his spokespeople were mistaken and immediately move for Pollard's release on the basis of the Korb letter.

And what about in Washington - that knows full well that the release of Jonathan Pollard in exchange for an extension of the freeze is a "deal maker" because, as the Jerusalem Post's Herb Keinon noted, there's "not a minister in Netanyahu's government who would oppose a two-month extension of the settlement freeze in return for Pollard's freedom."?

Mr. Obama's team has a clear message:

On the one hand, the Korb letter makes it even easier for President Obama to release Pollard.

At the same time, the White House now should understand that they cannot wait for a request from Jerusalem to initiate the deal.

Through an ongoing series of errors, President Obama has pushed Mahmoud Abbas ever higher up on the tree, causing the breakdown in the talks.

Mr. Obama made this mess.

It is now up to him to clean it up.

He doesn't need to wait for a call (that may never come) from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to force the talks back on track via a release-freeze extension trade.

He can put the ball in play himself.

Yes, in truth the Korb letter absolutely justifies the immediate unconditional release of Jonathan Pollard.

And on grounds of "morality" Mr. Obama should act.

But if he sees fit to exploit the opportunity to also solve the mess he made then so be it.

And now we wait.

Technorati Tag: Jonathan Pollard and Lawrence Korb.