AFP: Israel downplays US spy affair

[laststeamtrain]

Israel downplays US spy affair

by Jean-Luc Renaudie 24 minutes ago

Israel on Wednesday played down the impact of the arrest in New York of an 84-year-old US army veteran on charges of spying for the Jewish state nearly 30 years ago.

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"This affair is a momentary embarrassment, but it will not harm the privileged relations between Israel and the United States," a government official told AFP, asking not to be named.

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The arrest was said to be linked to scandal in which Pentagon spy and US Navy office Pollard passed thousands of secret documents to Israel in 1984 and 1985 in a case which rocked US-Israeli relations.

He is serving a life term after being convicted of spying.

<snip>

The government publicly admitted in 1998 that Pollard had been an agent acting on its behalf and awarded him Israeli citizenship.

"What apparently is irritating the Americans is that we had told them Pollard was our only agent, and this new affair could raise questions," said former Mossad boss Danny Yatom, now a member of parliament.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080423/wl_mideast_afp/usisraelarrestnuclearweapons_080423121310

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. This is not the first, and I guarantee it's not the last.

If it were any other country but Israel, we would not stand for it. Neither would we have stood for the USS Liberty incident either. When will we wake up?

[iamthebandfanman]

2. nobody cares

this has happened sooo many times...

and nobody does a damn thing about it.

same with china too.

makes ya wonder where our governments interest lie, doesnt it ;)

[peacetalksforall]

3. What's the difference between the above and AIPAC, Franklin, the

other Pentagon employees who are trying to avoid court, and all their coordinators in the WH, State Dept, Intelligence Depts, etc.

I don't get it at all. Maybe they should let Pollard go if we continue to let Israel run things and allow all the decisions for Israel. Is the difference pocketing money? It's all normal business if you don't gain personally?

No, I just don't understand it all.