Two people sought protection from the Americans inside the Israeli Embassy. One - an Israeli - was Colonel Aviem Sela, a senior Air Force officer, who served as Jonathan Pollard's controller. The other - a Jew - was Pollard himself.
The Americans forcefully demanded the surrender of both of them. Israel rescued the Israeli despite the tremendous American pressure. The Jew was thrown out of the Embassy gates.
That's the whole story. Pollard is in jail because he's a Jew.
Pollard's release is not an American issue, not because the Americans have no part in the story, but because if Israel really wanted his release, Pollard would have been freed a long time ago. There are innumerable American agents in Israel. Many have been caught, some act with Israel's knowledge, and one even became an MK and a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee until he was exposed - and Israel permitted him to leave the country. If Israel really wanted Pollard's release it could have achieved this using the embarrassing information it possesses, or by a thousand other quiet means. The key to Pollard's release lies entirely in Israeli hands.
If so, why is Pollard still in jail? Pollard is in jail because he is a Jew and not an Israeli. Pollard is in jail because Israel is the State of the Israelis and not a Jewish State. Pollard is not the first example of Israeli treachery.
There was Raoul Wallenberg, who saved tens of thousands of Jews and died in jail without Israel lifting a finger on his behalf. There were the Arab collaborators in Judea, Samaria and Gaza who were handed over to the Palestinian Authority murderers. There were the Southern Lebanon Army soldiers who made an alliance with us and were abandoned to their fate. There were many others.
A culture of treachery prevails in Israel, and this is only natural. Because when you don't know who you are, you obviously cannot know who are your enemies and who are your friends. You cannot be loyal, you cannot love, and you are even incapable of hate.
Muhammad Dahlan said of us: "You're just an ordinary country." We are just ordinary, nothing special - nothing at all. So, why should we care if Wallenberg saved what Chaim Weizmann called "the scum of the ghettos"? What have they got to do with us? And why should we care about what happened to the collaborators - Arafat is now our friend and they are really enemies of peace. And why should we care about what happened to the Lebanese soldiers? After all, they only did it for the money. And so why should we care about Pollard - an American Jew?
And why should we care about a child living in Netzarim killed by mortar fire, or about a taxi driver who was murdered (he shouldn't have been there). Yitzhak Rabin once said about someone murdered in an Arab village: "He just wanted to buy cheap eggs" (so he should be ashamed of himself - ?we? were in the Palmach).
And why should we care about a Haredi woman whose home was blown up (and if you are a Haredi, what do you care about the irreligious)? And who cares when someone with a Russian name gets murdered? And who cares about Azzam Azzam? And who cares about Pollard?
Because when we forgot who we are, we lost the ability to be loyal to something - to the Jews, to allies, to anything.
In fact, however, there is a section of the public who cares. They are the people wearing knitted kippot. They were not elected to this role democratically; neither were the Maccabees. But they now represent the Jewish nation. The last ones who have remained a nation. They are the sole hope. When they demonstrate on behalf of Pollard, this means that the Jewish nation has remained loyal. When the prime minister comes out with such fine words, they are meaningless. But when a child from a settlement says it, this means that the Jewish nation has not betrayed him.
The sole public (as a public) that has overall responsibility for the fate of the Jewish nation are the ones wearing knitted kippot. Not the black kippot, but the knitted ones.
Consequently, the activities on behalf of Pollard come from this public - and it only. And when this public will assume the leadership, Pollard will be released.
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Moshe Feiglin is head of the Manhigut Yehudit faction in the Likud party and a former prime ministerial candidate.
The Americans forcefully demanded the surrender of both of them. Israel rescued the Israeli despite the tremendous American pressure. The Jew was thrown out of the Embassy gates.
That's the whole story. Pollard is in jail because he's a Jew.
Pollard's release is not an American issue, not because the Americans have no part in the story, but because if Israel really wanted his release, Pollard would have been freed a long time ago. There are innumerable American agents in Israel. Many have been caught, some act with Israel's knowledge, and one even became an MK and a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee until he was exposed - and Israel permitted him to leave the country. If Israel really wanted Pollard's release it could have achieved this using the embarrassing information it possesses, or by a thousand other quiet means. The key to Pollard's release lies entirely in Israeli hands.
If so, why is Pollard still in jail? Pollard is in jail because he is a Jew and not an Israeli. Pollard is in jail because Israel is the State of the Israelis and not a Jewish State. Pollard is not the first example of Israeli treachery.
There was Raoul Wallenberg, who saved tens of thousands of Jews and died in jail without Israel lifting a finger on his behalf. There were the Arab collaborators in Judea, Samaria and Gaza who were handed over to the Palestinian Authority murderers. There were the Southern Lebanon Army soldiers who made an alliance with us and were abandoned to their fate. There were many others.
A culture of treachery prevails in Israel, and this is only natural. Because when you don't know who you are, you obviously cannot know who are your enemies and who are your friends. You cannot be loyal, you cannot love, and you are even incapable of hate.
Muhammad Dahlan said of us: "You're just an ordinary country." We are just ordinary, nothing special - nothing at all. So, why should we care if Wallenberg saved what Chaim Weizmann called "the scum of the ghettos"? What have they got to do with us? And why should we care about what happened to the collaborators - Arafat is now our friend and they are really enemies of peace. And why should we care about what happened to the Lebanese soldiers? After all, they only did it for the money. And so why should we care about Pollard - an American Jew?
And why should we care about a child living in Netzarim killed by mortar fire, or about a taxi driver who was murdered (he shouldn't have been there). Yitzhak Rabin once said about someone murdered in an Arab village: "He just wanted to buy cheap eggs" (so he should be ashamed of himself - ?we? were in the Palmach).
And why should we care about a Haredi woman whose home was blown up (and if you are a Haredi, what do you care about the irreligious)? And who cares when someone with a Russian name gets murdered? And who cares about Azzam Azzam? And who cares about Pollard?
Because when we forgot who we are, we lost the ability to be loyal to something - to the Jews, to allies, to anything.
In fact, however, there is a section of the public who cares. They are the people wearing knitted kippot. They were not elected to this role democratically; neither were the Maccabees. But they now represent the Jewish nation. The last ones who have remained a nation. They are the sole hope. When they demonstrate on behalf of Pollard, this means that the Jewish nation has remained loyal. When the prime minister comes out with such fine words, they are meaningless. But when a child from a settlement says it, this means that the Jewish nation has not betrayed him.
The sole public (as a public) that has overall responsibility for the fate of the Jewish nation are the ones wearing knitted kippot. Not the black kippot, but the knitted ones.
Consequently, the activities on behalf of Pollard come from this public - and it only. And when this public will assume the leadership, Pollard will be released.
--------------------------------------------------------
Moshe Feiglin is head of the Manhigut Yehudit faction in the Likud party and a former prime ministerial candidate.