Reports
say Jonathan Pollard may be freed within the next few weeks as part of a
U.S.-brokered deal to extend the Israel-Palestinian peace talks • U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu twice in past day.
Imprisoned Israeli spy
Jonathan Pollard
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Photo credit: AP  |
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Will America's desire to prevent the collapse
of the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations lead to the release of
imprisoned Israel spy Jonathan Pollard? According to numerous reports,
which cite American officials, the U.S. is talking with Israel about the
possibility of freeing Pollard as part of a bid to save the faltering
peace talks.
Pollard reportedly would be freed before the
Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins in two weeks' time, provided
Israel goes ahead with the fourth round of the prisoner release, which
was originally scheduled for this past weekend but was not carried out.
The Prime Minister's Office has not commented on reports that Pollard could be included in a deal on the prisoner release and an extension of the peace talks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised the issue of Pollard numerous times with U.S. officials, including during his most recent meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington last month.
Until now, the U.S. has always said it had no
intention of releasing Pollard, who was arrested in 1985 and later
sentenced to life in prison. That stance seemed to change on Monday when
a U.S. official told The New York Times that no decision has been made
yet on Pollard.
According to The New York Times report, U.S.
officials said the potential release of Pollard is part of larger
discussion on a broader deal between Israel and the Palestinians to
extend the peace negotiations. That deal has yet to be agreed upon and
Obama would have to personally sign off on Pollard's release, U.S.
officials said.
The Politico news website noted that as
opposed to the usual declaration that Pollard will not be freed, the
White House has recently opted not to speak on the topic. White House
spokesman Jay Carney on Monday declined to discuss any possible deal
involving Pollard.
"He is a person who is convicted of espionage
and is serving his sentence," Carney told reporters at the White House.
"I don't have any updates on his situation."
Meanwhile, Israel has drafted a very flexible
proposal regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners and an extension
of the peace talks.
Under the proposal, Israel would agree to
release 400 Palestinian prisoners and restrain government construction
outside the main settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria. In return, the
Palestinians would agree to a one-year extension of the peace talks.
The prisoners to be freed would terrorist
group members without blood on their hands (not Palestinians charged
with criminal offenses) and their identities and release dates would be
decided by Israel.
The construction freeze would not be brought
to a vote in the government, but would stand as an agreement between
Israel, the U.S. and the Palestinians. As of Tuesday, Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had not given a positive response to
the generous Israeli offer.
It is believed that the proposal to release
400 more prisoners would be approved by the government, despite the
opposition of Habayit Hayehudi ministers and some Likud and Yisrael
Beytenu ministers. Israel would also go ahead with the fourth stage of
the prisoner release, but without the Israeli Arab prisoners being
freed.
Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel
(Habayit Hayehudi) spoke about the issue on Monday. "I hope we do not
have to face this challenge, but if we have to we will do it with
honor," Ariel said.
Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud)
said he expects U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry "to stop with the
double standards and constant demands for Israeli concessions."
Kerry arrived in Israel on Monday, as he tries to keep the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks alive.
Credit: Reuters, GPO
On Tuesday morning, Kerry met Netanyahu for the second time in less than 12 hours.
Kerry broke into his travel schedule on Monday
for a flying visit to Jerusalem and headed straight back to Europe
after his early morning discussions with Netanyahu on Tuesday.
There was no immediate word of any
breakthrough and a Palestinian official said Kerry might return to the
region late on Wednesday to see Abbas.
A Palestinian official told Israel Hayom on
Monday that Kerry's trip to the region was meant to tie up all loose
ends and prevent the peace process from falling apart.
Palestinian media reports on Monday showed
just how fragile the current negotiations are. In light of the expected
collapse of the peace talks, Palestinian terrorist leaders Ahmad Saadat
and Marwan Barghouti, both serving prison sentences in Israel, called
for a renewal of armed struggle against Israel.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader MK Isaac Herzog (Labor) met with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman on Monday.
The meeting focused on the current Israel-Palestinian peace talks and
Abdullah expressed his hope that a resolution to the current crisis in
the talks could be reached. "This a unique opportunity to reach an
accord in the Middle East, and the right formulation must be found to
prevent the negotiations from falling apart." 
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