It's now three days that some 40 teenagers have been hunger striking on behalf of Jonathan Pollard in the Rose Garden outside the Knesset. Hundreds of people have stopped by since the strike began on Sunday, including many Knesset Members. The young protestors are seasoned already, and politely told them, "We appreciate all that you're doing, but it's not enough. Please make sure that you are really doing all you can to achieve Pollard's release."
Minister Natan Sharansky, who has been appointed by Prime Minister Sharon to take charge of the case, received similar treatment. Even as the crowd applauded him, many of the strikers told him that as the minister responsible for attaining Pollard's release, he must do more. However, in response to a demand by Pollard himself, who protested some of Sharansky's methods, the latter has resigned this position - though he says he will continue to work for Pollard's release.
The four-day hunger strike will culminate tomorrow afternoon with a mass rally on behalf of Pollard. One striker, Lital from Ashkelon, said that she and others talked with left-wing MKs Orit Noked and Ophir Pines, as well as with the head of Peace Now, about bringing left-wing youth to join the demonstration as well. "At present, we have one non-religious youth among our strikers," she said, "but in general it looks like a religious youth group reunion. They said they would try to bring youth to participate in the rally as well." Staffers at MK Pines' office, with whom Arutz-7 spoke three times today, said they do not know of any action taken by their boss on this matter.
Among the public figures arriving today and tomorrow at the strike site are Rabbis Mordechai Eliyahu, Dov Lior and Yosef Mendlevitch; Adir Zik; former MK Geulah Cohen, Etzel fighter Ezra Yachin, Moshe Zar and more.
Minister Sharansky also told the strikers that former U.S. President Bill Clinton's account of his reneging on his Wye Plantation commitment to release Pollard was not correct. According to Sharansky, Pollard was not an incidental adjunct to the Wye Agreement, as Clinton said, but rather a central aspect of the entire negotiations. In addition, Sharansky said, Clinton did not promise merely to "look into the matter," as he wrote, but to actually release Pollard - and then reneged on this promise.
Adi Ginzberg, one of the leaders of the student struggle for Pollard, said that Sharansky also said that regular visits by Israel's Ambassador in the U.S. to Pollard are important and basic, but that others in Israel's government do not agree.
Minister Natan Sharansky, who has been appointed by Prime Minister Sharon to take charge of the case, received similar treatment. Even as the crowd applauded him, many of the strikers told him that as the minister responsible for attaining Pollard's release, he must do more. However, in response to a demand by Pollard himself, who protested some of Sharansky's methods, the latter has resigned this position - though he says he will continue to work for Pollard's release.
The four-day hunger strike will culminate tomorrow afternoon with a mass rally on behalf of Pollard. One striker, Lital from Ashkelon, said that she and others talked with left-wing MKs Orit Noked and Ophir Pines, as well as with the head of Peace Now, about bringing left-wing youth to join the demonstration as well. "At present, we have one non-religious youth among our strikers," she said, "but in general it looks like a religious youth group reunion. They said they would try to bring youth to participate in the rally as well." Staffers at MK Pines' office, with whom Arutz-7 spoke three times today, said they do not know of any action taken by their boss on this matter.
Among the public figures arriving today and tomorrow at the strike site are Rabbis Mordechai Eliyahu, Dov Lior and Yosef Mendlevitch; Adir Zik; former MK Geulah Cohen, Etzel fighter Ezra Yachin, Moshe Zar and more.
Minister Sharansky also told the strikers that former U.S. President Bill Clinton's account of his reneging on his Wye Plantation commitment to release Pollard was not correct. According to Sharansky, Pollard was not an incidental adjunct to the Wye Agreement, as Clinton said, but rather a central aspect of the entire negotiations. In addition, Sharansky said, Clinton did not promise merely to "look into the matter," as he wrote, but to actually release Pollard - and then reneged on this promise.
Adi Ginzberg, one of the leaders of the student struggle for Pollard, said that Sharansky also said that regular visits by Israel's Ambassador in the U.S. to Pollard are important and basic, but that others in Israel's government do not agree.