7 aug 2019
In a meeting with members of US Congress, President Abbas stresses rejection of dictations
In a meeting with members of the US Congress today in Ramallah, President Mahmoud Abbas stressed his rejection of US decisions and dictations regarding Jerusalem, refugees, borders, and security.
President Abbas received members of US congress, headed by House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer, in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.
Abbas said that Israel did not respect bilateral agreements signed under international auspices and insists on destroying them, which forced the Palestinian leadership to suspend these agreements.
For their part, the US delegation expressed their full support to the two-state solution and achieving peace.
In a meeting with members of the US Congress today in Ramallah, President Mahmoud Abbas stressed his rejection of US decisions and dictations regarding Jerusalem, refugees, borders, and security.
President Abbas received members of US congress, headed by House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer, in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.
Abbas said that Israel did not respect bilateral agreements signed under international auspices and insists on destroying them, which forced the Palestinian leadership to suspend these agreements.
For their part, the US delegation expressed their full support to the two-state solution and achieving peace.
US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) (R) talks to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) (L) prior to a news conference June 5, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has called President Donald Trump the “primary cheerleader” for hate in the United States, as Trump faces widespread criticism over his controversial immigration rhetoric after a pair of deadly shootings over the weekend.
“There is a very sophisticated network of hate in this country that started, you know, well before President Trump took office,” Murphy told MSNBC On Wednesday. “But he was their cheerleader, and he is now their primary cheerleader, so he is making it worse, not better.”
Senator Murphy’s comments come after last weekend's mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, which left more than 30 people dead.
El Paso police said the 21-year-old suspect published a "manifesto" before his shooting that had anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric. Saturday’s massacre was one of three mass shootings in the United States within a span of a week, unleashing fresh alarm at the national crisis of gun violence.
The gunman, who was arrested, is white and linked to a "manifesto" posted online that described an attack in response to a “Hispanic invasion.”
On Sunday, a 24-year-old gunman killed nine people in a rampage in Dayton, Ohio. That shooting came seven days after a teenager killed three people with an assault rifle at a food festival in California before taking his own life.
While President Trump on Monday called on the country to "condemn bigotry, hatred and white supremacy" after the shooting, his critics have said his rhetoric has contributed to the rise in hate crimes. Trump declared that “hate has no place in our country.”
Murphy said on Wednesday that “Congress also contributes to the violence,” citing its in recent days and the failure to pass major gun reforms after previous mass shootings.
“When these young men are contemplating exorcising their demons, their disdain for people that are different from them, through a weapon, through the muzzle of a rifle, they notice when Congress doesn't step in and condemn these actions with legislation,” Murphy said.
“And so our silence has become a quiet endorsement for these unhinged individuals who are trading in this hate speech who end up turning guns on individuals,” the Democratic lawmaker added.
In an interview with Press TV on Tuesday, American political analyst Daniel Patrick Welch said that white supremacy is not a partisan issue, both Democratic and Republican Parties fund endless racist war.
“The Democrats and the so-called left, the other ruling party is using this as a political football, and it’s a problem of course because Trump is a racist, of course his rhetoric is incendiary and it’s riling up these feelings among his base and it’s a nasty ugly thing.
But it’s not necessary in opposing Trump to jump on board with this group of opportunists and charlatans who exemplify absolutely every single aspect of white supremacy, to achieve every single one—except the fact that they themselves are not burning crosses, they themselves are not taking an AR15 and going to a mall and shooting people,” Welch noted.
US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has called President Donald Trump the “primary cheerleader” for hate in the United States, as Trump faces widespread criticism over his controversial immigration rhetoric after a pair of deadly shootings over the weekend.
“There is a very sophisticated network of hate in this country that started, you know, well before President Trump took office,” Murphy told MSNBC On Wednesday. “But he was their cheerleader, and he is now their primary cheerleader, so he is making it worse, not better.”
Senator Murphy’s comments come after last weekend's mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, which left more than 30 people dead.
El Paso police said the 21-year-old suspect published a "manifesto" before his shooting that had anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric. Saturday’s massacre was one of three mass shootings in the United States within a span of a week, unleashing fresh alarm at the national crisis of gun violence.
The gunman, who was arrested, is white and linked to a "manifesto" posted online that described an attack in response to a “Hispanic invasion.”
On Sunday, a 24-year-old gunman killed nine people in a rampage in Dayton, Ohio. That shooting came seven days after a teenager killed three people with an assault rifle at a food festival in California before taking his own life.
While President Trump on Monday called on the country to "condemn bigotry, hatred and white supremacy" after the shooting, his critics have said his rhetoric has contributed to the rise in hate crimes. Trump declared that “hate has no place in our country.”
Murphy said on Wednesday that “Congress also contributes to the violence,” citing its in recent days and the failure to pass major gun reforms after previous mass shootings.
“When these young men are contemplating exorcising their demons, their disdain for people that are different from them, through a weapon, through the muzzle of a rifle, they notice when Congress doesn't step in and condemn these actions with legislation,” Murphy said.
“And so our silence has become a quiet endorsement for these unhinged individuals who are trading in this hate speech who end up turning guns on individuals,” the Democratic lawmaker added.
In an interview with Press TV on Tuesday, American political analyst Daniel Patrick Welch said that white supremacy is not a partisan issue, both Democratic and Republican Parties fund endless racist war.
“The Democrats and the so-called left, the other ruling party is using this as a political football, and it’s a problem of course because Trump is a racist, of course his rhetoric is incendiary and it’s riling up these feelings among his base and it’s a nasty ugly thing.
But it’s not necessary in opposing Trump to jump on board with this group of opportunists and charlatans who exemplify absolutely every single aspect of white supremacy, to achieve every single one—except the fact that they themselves are not burning crosses, they themselves are not taking an AR15 and going to a mall and shooting people,” Welch noted.
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) advanced plans for 2,304 settler homes and regularized three settler outposts in the West Bank during a two-day meeting of its higher planning council that ended Tuesday, Peace Now reported.
Plans for 1,466 of these settler homes were deposited, which means they are in the initial stages of discussion, and 838 were validated, which means they were given final approvals, according to Peace Now, a left-wing NGO.
70 percent of the units are for isolated settlements, which are located outside the route of the separation barrier.
At one time Israel and the US had made a distinction between isolated settlements and settlement blocs. Isolated settlements were believed to be vulnerable to withdrawal in any future final-status agreement with the Palestinians. Israel in the past held that settlements blocs would be part of its final sovereign borders.
Under the current US administration of Donald Trump and the current Israeli government, no distinction is made between settlements on either side of the barrier. Earlier this week, premier Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Efrat settlement and reiterated his remarks that “no settler or settlement will be uprooted on his watch.”
Among the more significant projects are almost 300 units for the small, isolated ultra-Orthodox settlement of Asfar, which is located in the Gush Etzion region. About 200 of the units that were deposited are for property within the settlement itself. In addition, the council legalized the adjacent Ibei Hanahal outpost as a new neighborhood of the settlement, approving in the process 96 new homes.
Peace Now has condemned the moves, saying “the approval of settlement plans is part of a disastrous government policy designed to prevent the possibility of peace and a two-state solution, and to annex part or all of the West Bank.”
It noted in particular that the council also approved the Haroeh Haivri outpost as an educational institution with plans for 24 homes. Built in 2015, it is located near the Bedouin herding village of Khan al-Ahmar, which the government has sought to evacuate.
The council also authorized the Givat Salit outpost with plans for 94 homes, but held off on approving the Brosh outpost. It also delayed the approval of 207 homes in the Har Bracha settlement.
Plans for 1,466 of these settler homes were deposited, which means they are in the initial stages of discussion, and 838 were validated, which means they were given final approvals, according to Peace Now, a left-wing NGO.
70 percent of the units are for isolated settlements, which are located outside the route of the separation barrier.
At one time Israel and the US had made a distinction between isolated settlements and settlement blocs. Isolated settlements were believed to be vulnerable to withdrawal in any future final-status agreement with the Palestinians. Israel in the past held that settlements blocs would be part of its final sovereign borders.
Under the current US administration of Donald Trump and the current Israeli government, no distinction is made between settlements on either side of the barrier. Earlier this week, premier Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Efrat settlement and reiterated his remarks that “no settler or settlement will be uprooted on his watch.”
Among the more significant projects are almost 300 units for the small, isolated ultra-Orthodox settlement of Asfar, which is located in the Gush Etzion region. About 200 of the units that were deposited are for property within the settlement itself. In addition, the council legalized the adjacent Ibei Hanahal outpost as a new neighborhood of the settlement, approving in the process 96 new homes.
Peace Now has condemned the moves, saying “the approval of settlement plans is part of a disastrous government policy designed to prevent the possibility of peace and a two-state solution, and to annex part or all of the West Bank.”
It noted in particular that the council also approved the Haroeh Haivri outpost as an educational institution with plans for 24 homes. Built in 2015, it is located near the Bedouin herding village of Khan al-Ahmar, which the government has sought to evacuate.
The council also authorized the Givat Salit outpost with plans for 94 homes, but held off on approving the Brosh outpost. It also delayed the approval of 207 homes in the Har Bracha settlement.
6 aug 2019
Chief of the Palestinian Authority (PA) Intelligence Services Majed Faraj
by Adnan Abu Amer
Despite the American-Palestinian estrangement since December 2017, leading to the imposition of American sanctions on the PA, this did not stop the two parties from holding meetings both in secret and in public.
This contradiction raises several question marks regarding the seriousness of this estrangement.
In early July, Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee, met with US Congressmen Lindsey Graham and Chris Van Hollen in Ramallah. The three men discussed renewing US financial support to the Palestinian security services, which has been suspended since early 2019.
Van Hollen and Graham spoke positively about the PA’s role in maintaining security. They also made the case that it would “counterproductive for the US government to cut AID funding for Palestinian schools and hospitals, that only strengthens Hamas and sends the signal that we don’t have a working relationship with the PA.”
While PA President Mahmoud Abbas denied having political contact with the US administration in late June, he has confirmed that the PA continues its security coordination with the US to “fight terrorism”.
In May, the American administration agreed to give the PA 10 armoured vehicles.
In June, Head of General Intelligence Service (GIS), Major General Majed Faraj, reiterated his complete commitment to fighting terrorism, extremism, and violence. He also said he would cooperate with all of the regional and international parties at 10th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues, held in Ufa, Russia.
In September, a delegation from the Palestinian GIS visited Washington to hold talks with the CIA. President Abbas announced that the Palestinian security delegation is seeking to maintain security and intelligence cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and the US, despite severing all relations with the White House.
One finds it difficult to understand the continuation of Palestinian-American meetings of an intelligence-security nature given the political and diplomatic estrangement between them. This raises questions about the future of US-Palestinian security cooperation and the possibility that the American statements will be an introduction to the resumption of American financial support for the Palestinian security agency.
One also would like to know the nature of the concessions the PA will make in return for the resumption of financial aid, as well as the forms of security cooperation between Ramallah and Washington.
President Abbas’s repeated statements regarding cooperation with the Americans have frequently focused on the need to fight terrorism. This highlights the fact that the PA is providing information to the US about armed groups and that the PA is playing a role in fighting against Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
The current Palestinian-American meetings seem to be similar to previous ones. A particularly infamous meeting took place in June 2018, between the head of the Palestinian GIS Majed Faraj with then CIA Director, Mike Pompeo.
The Palestinian sources that I met with agree that these meetings are held at a security level, but gave no further clarification. They also stated that the security meetings between the PA and American administration had continued despite the PA’s boycott of President Trump’s administration after the US recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 2017 and moved its embassy to the city in May 2018.
The discussions of these Palestinian-American meetings are preoccupied with security issues with a regional dimension and implications related to the region in general, beyond the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. They also discuss the clear American desire to ensure political and security stability in the Palestinian territories following the end of the Abbas era, for whatever reason.
It can be said with much confidence that Majed Faraj is one of the Palestinian leaders closest to Abbas. His meetings with his American counterparts are a continuation of past meetings, as Palestinian security officials have strong relations with the Americans. Washington and Tel Aviv view the developments in the Palestinian arena from a national security point of view.
However, it is strange that these high-level security meetings are being held while at the same time PA is so displeased at the so-called peace plan spearheaded by Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt. Despite this, the Palestinian-American security meetings and bilateral communication with concerned American security parties continue and have not stopped.
Of course, these Palestinian-American meetings may discuss the desire of Majed Faraj to nominate himself as Abbas’s successor. Faraj’s comments that are close to those of Washington and his visits may be an attempt on his part to convince them to support him.
American backing would be critical for Faraj, particularly since he was not chosen as a member of the PLO executive committee or as a member of the Fatah central committee. These are important positions for anyone nominated as Abbas’s successor.
Faraj is seen by many Palestinians as a collaborator with Israel. This is mainly as a result of his announcement in 2016 that his security forces foiled 200 armed attacks against Israel and that it is working side by side with Israel and the United States.
The Palestinians say the Palestinian-American security meetings mean that the US intelligence has a close network of relations with its Palestinian counterpart. When Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in mid-2007, gaining access to Palestinian intelligence archives, it revealed documents proving Palestinian security cooperation with the CIA.
Moreover, the Palestinian security personnel are trained in the United States, American officers supervise Palestinian security agencies in the West Bank, and Palestinian intelligence services have security attachés in most of the 90 Palestinian embassies around the world. They have security ties with international agencies and help US security in pursuing armed groups in the world by providing a security information bank.
At the same time, Palestinian intelligence is succeeding in tracking armed groups around the world because of its possession of individuals and informants in areas where such armed groups are deployed, such as Syria and Libya.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank also exchange information regarding the Palestinian security operatives working with the CIA in countries with large Palestinian. This is especially true in hot spot areas with tense security situations, which pose a nuisance to the United States and Israel, such as Syria.
US and Libyan sources have confirmed that the Palestinian GIS and its director, Faraj, were honoured by the white house for providing of valuable information to the CIA, which helped identify the movements of Al-Qaeda leader Abu Anas al-Libi and facilitated his abduction in 2013. In Syria in 2015, the Palestinian GIS contributed to the release of two Swedish hostages held by armed groups since 2013.
Palestinian security officers are popular figures in the American security community and have a strong network of relations with senior CIA officers after years of working together. Their meetings focus on bilateral coordination to pursue armed groups in the Middle East. The Palestinian cause is given scant attention. Yet all the while Americans thank their Palestinian counterparts for their security efforts while the Palestinian security agencies thank them for training and funds.
Hamas has condemned the security roles played by the GIS, especially its cooperation with the CIA to prosecute some of the wanted, in a manner affecting the Palestinian cause. Hamas has hundreds of documents confirming that the Palestinian intelligence has spied on Arab and Muslim countries, as well as allies, for the benefit of Israel and the US.
The continued US-Palestinian security meetings despite the political estrangement give credence to those saying that the Palestinian Authority may be one of the arms of US policy in the region. There is high-level security coordination between them, and talk of a political estrangement between Washington and Ramallah is untrue, as their communication is ongoing. The PA cannot sever its relations with the United States; otherwise, it would be like cutting off its arteries.
Such Palestinian-American meetings provide a number of important indications, particularly American keenness to maintain a relationship with the PA, despite the American claims and accusations against it. Another sign is the PA’s refusal to cease security coordination with Israel and the United States.
These Palestinian-American security meetings may give the impression that – despite the ongoing strain – the status quo may return in the long term.
(Majed Faraj is the head of the Political Science Department at the University of the Ummah in Gaza.)
by Adnan Abu Amer
Despite the American-Palestinian estrangement since December 2017, leading to the imposition of American sanctions on the PA, this did not stop the two parties from holding meetings both in secret and in public.
This contradiction raises several question marks regarding the seriousness of this estrangement.
In early July, Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee, met with US Congressmen Lindsey Graham and Chris Van Hollen in Ramallah. The three men discussed renewing US financial support to the Palestinian security services, which has been suspended since early 2019.
Van Hollen and Graham spoke positively about the PA’s role in maintaining security. They also made the case that it would “counterproductive for the US government to cut AID funding for Palestinian schools and hospitals, that only strengthens Hamas and sends the signal that we don’t have a working relationship with the PA.”
While PA President Mahmoud Abbas denied having political contact with the US administration in late June, he has confirmed that the PA continues its security coordination with the US to “fight terrorism”.
In May, the American administration agreed to give the PA 10 armoured vehicles.
In June, Head of General Intelligence Service (GIS), Major General Majed Faraj, reiterated his complete commitment to fighting terrorism, extremism, and violence. He also said he would cooperate with all of the regional and international parties at 10th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues, held in Ufa, Russia.
In September, a delegation from the Palestinian GIS visited Washington to hold talks with the CIA. President Abbas announced that the Palestinian security delegation is seeking to maintain security and intelligence cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and the US, despite severing all relations with the White House.
One finds it difficult to understand the continuation of Palestinian-American meetings of an intelligence-security nature given the political and diplomatic estrangement between them. This raises questions about the future of US-Palestinian security cooperation and the possibility that the American statements will be an introduction to the resumption of American financial support for the Palestinian security agency.
One also would like to know the nature of the concessions the PA will make in return for the resumption of financial aid, as well as the forms of security cooperation between Ramallah and Washington.
President Abbas’s repeated statements regarding cooperation with the Americans have frequently focused on the need to fight terrorism. This highlights the fact that the PA is providing information to the US about armed groups and that the PA is playing a role in fighting against Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
The current Palestinian-American meetings seem to be similar to previous ones. A particularly infamous meeting took place in June 2018, between the head of the Palestinian GIS Majed Faraj with then CIA Director, Mike Pompeo.
The Palestinian sources that I met with agree that these meetings are held at a security level, but gave no further clarification. They also stated that the security meetings between the PA and American administration had continued despite the PA’s boycott of President Trump’s administration after the US recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 2017 and moved its embassy to the city in May 2018.
The discussions of these Palestinian-American meetings are preoccupied with security issues with a regional dimension and implications related to the region in general, beyond the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. They also discuss the clear American desire to ensure political and security stability in the Palestinian territories following the end of the Abbas era, for whatever reason.
It can be said with much confidence that Majed Faraj is one of the Palestinian leaders closest to Abbas. His meetings with his American counterparts are a continuation of past meetings, as Palestinian security officials have strong relations with the Americans. Washington and Tel Aviv view the developments in the Palestinian arena from a national security point of view.
However, it is strange that these high-level security meetings are being held while at the same time PA is so displeased at the so-called peace plan spearheaded by Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt. Despite this, the Palestinian-American security meetings and bilateral communication with concerned American security parties continue and have not stopped.
Of course, these Palestinian-American meetings may discuss the desire of Majed Faraj to nominate himself as Abbas’s successor. Faraj’s comments that are close to those of Washington and his visits may be an attempt on his part to convince them to support him.
American backing would be critical for Faraj, particularly since he was not chosen as a member of the PLO executive committee or as a member of the Fatah central committee. These are important positions for anyone nominated as Abbas’s successor.
Faraj is seen by many Palestinians as a collaborator with Israel. This is mainly as a result of his announcement in 2016 that his security forces foiled 200 armed attacks against Israel and that it is working side by side with Israel and the United States.
The Palestinians say the Palestinian-American security meetings mean that the US intelligence has a close network of relations with its Palestinian counterpart. When Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in mid-2007, gaining access to Palestinian intelligence archives, it revealed documents proving Palestinian security cooperation with the CIA.
Moreover, the Palestinian security personnel are trained in the United States, American officers supervise Palestinian security agencies in the West Bank, and Palestinian intelligence services have security attachés in most of the 90 Palestinian embassies around the world. They have security ties with international agencies and help US security in pursuing armed groups in the world by providing a security information bank.
At the same time, Palestinian intelligence is succeeding in tracking armed groups around the world because of its possession of individuals and informants in areas where such armed groups are deployed, such as Syria and Libya.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank also exchange information regarding the Palestinian security operatives working with the CIA in countries with large Palestinian. This is especially true in hot spot areas with tense security situations, which pose a nuisance to the United States and Israel, such as Syria.
US and Libyan sources have confirmed that the Palestinian GIS and its director, Faraj, were honoured by the white house for providing of valuable information to the CIA, which helped identify the movements of Al-Qaeda leader Abu Anas al-Libi and facilitated his abduction in 2013. In Syria in 2015, the Palestinian GIS contributed to the release of two Swedish hostages held by armed groups since 2013.
Palestinian security officers are popular figures in the American security community and have a strong network of relations with senior CIA officers after years of working together. Their meetings focus on bilateral coordination to pursue armed groups in the Middle East. The Palestinian cause is given scant attention. Yet all the while Americans thank their Palestinian counterparts for their security efforts while the Palestinian security agencies thank them for training and funds.
Hamas has condemned the security roles played by the GIS, especially its cooperation with the CIA to prosecute some of the wanted, in a manner affecting the Palestinian cause. Hamas has hundreds of documents confirming that the Palestinian intelligence has spied on Arab and Muslim countries, as well as allies, for the benefit of Israel and the US.
The continued US-Palestinian security meetings despite the political estrangement give credence to those saying that the Palestinian Authority may be one of the arms of US policy in the region. There is high-level security coordination between them, and talk of a political estrangement between Washington and Ramallah is untrue, as their communication is ongoing. The PA cannot sever its relations with the United States; otherwise, it would be like cutting off its arteries.
Such Palestinian-American meetings provide a number of important indications, particularly American keenness to maintain a relationship with the PA, despite the American claims and accusations against it. Another sign is the PA’s refusal to cease security coordination with Israel and the United States.
These Palestinian-American security meetings may give the impression that – despite the ongoing strain – the status quo may return in the long term.
(Majed Faraj is the head of the Political Science Department at the University of the Ummah in Gaza.)
The American-born former spy tells Channel 12 he asked the prime minister to urge the U.S. leader to allow him to 'go home' to care for his wife Esther who's suffering from an aggressive form of breast cancer
Former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleading with him to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to help him receive a commute on his parole to care for his wife who's suffering from an aggressive from of cancer.
Pollard served three decades in prison for providing sensitive intelligence information to Israel and following his release from prison last November, the parole commission imposed special conditions on the U.S.-born former spy. He is currently obliged to carry an electronic bracelet on his wrist at all times, and has specific times during the day when he can leave his apartment.
In an interview aired Monday night by Channel 12 that took place in his cramped little apartment in Manhattan, New York, Pollard said he had urged Netanyahu to intervene on his behalf and ask Trump to let him “go home” amid his recent familial crisis.
“This is an important matter that should be talked about and publicized,” he said referring to his decision to speak to the press.
“This is a matter of life and death. A great humanitarian issue, a personal crisis for me and my wife,” said Pollard in tears.
Pollard revealed that his wife Esther was tragically stricken with breast cancer for the third time and that now it had spread aggressively in her body.
“I can’t take care of my wife, I’m not mobile,” he continued. “If my wife needs something in the middle of the night, I can’t help her. Esther has been fighting for my life for 30 years. Now it’s my turn.”
Pollard was released in 2015 on parole after nearly thirty years from the facility in Butner, North Carolina, where he has been serving a life sentence.
Pollard sent his request to Netanyahu through Israeli Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer. According to Pollard, considering Netanyahu's relationship with Trump, he "can't imagine Trump refusing" the humanitarian request.
"Israel remains committed to bring Jonathan Pollard back home. The prime minister will continue with his efforts to bring him to Israel," said the Prime Minister’s Office in response.
Former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleading with him to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to help him receive a commute on his parole to care for his wife who's suffering from an aggressive from of cancer.
Pollard served three decades in prison for providing sensitive intelligence information to Israel and following his release from prison last November, the parole commission imposed special conditions on the U.S.-born former spy. He is currently obliged to carry an electronic bracelet on his wrist at all times, and has specific times during the day when he can leave his apartment.
In an interview aired Monday night by Channel 12 that took place in his cramped little apartment in Manhattan, New York, Pollard said he had urged Netanyahu to intervene on his behalf and ask Trump to let him “go home” amid his recent familial crisis.
“This is an important matter that should be talked about and publicized,” he said referring to his decision to speak to the press.
“This is a matter of life and death. A great humanitarian issue, a personal crisis for me and my wife,” said Pollard in tears.
Pollard revealed that his wife Esther was tragically stricken with breast cancer for the third time and that now it had spread aggressively in her body.
“I can’t take care of my wife, I’m not mobile,” he continued. “If my wife needs something in the middle of the night, I can’t help her. Esther has been fighting for my life for 30 years. Now it’s my turn.”
Pollard was released in 2015 on parole after nearly thirty years from the facility in Butner, North Carolina, where he has been serving a life sentence.
Pollard sent his request to Netanyahu through Israeli Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer. According to Pollard, considering Netanyahu's relationship with Trump, he "can't imagine Trump refusing" the humanitarian request.
"Israel remains committed to bring Jonathan Pollard back home. The prime minister will continue with his efforts to bring him to Israel," said the Prime Minister’s Office in response.
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