Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumFormer national security adviser calls for Pollard clemency
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"Robert McFarlane, who served as National Security Advisor under President Ronald Reagan, has called on President Obama to grant clemency to Jonathan Pollard.
McFarlane wrote in a Feb. 9 letter to President Obama that an affidavit filled by then Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, which is often cited as the reason for Pollard's continued incarceration, was "surely inspired in large part by his deeply held animus toward the State of Israel."
"His extreme bias against Israel was manifested in recurrent episodes of strong criticism and unbalanced reasoning when decisions involving Israel were being made," McFarlane wrote of Weinberger.
Pollard, who has been imprisoned since his 1985 arrest, was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 after being convicted of spying on behalf of Israel. He is said to be ill.
McFarlane wrote that the "imprisonment of Mr. Pollard for more than 26 years is more than excessive and well beyond what any court would award for the same action today. Mr. Weinberger's unduly harsh and unwarranted severity was disgraceful and mean-spirited. It has resulted in a great injustice that I encourage you to mitigate by awarding clemency and commuting Jonathan Pollard's sentence to time served."
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/02/16/3091706/mcfarlane-calls-for-pollard-clemency
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)"Former national security advisor" my ass. You mean convicted felon who was pardoned by GHW Bush.
Too bad he couldn't get his suicide to work.
denverbill
(11,489 posts)I'm sure Israel would do the same if some Israeli spilled the beans on Israel's covert nuclear program to the US.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)He's lucky he didn't get a death sentence.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts).would that be similar to "antisemitism"?
and of course it has nada to do with Pollard's treason