Defend Jonathan Pollard (Hot Button Alert)

Great Debates
1

Jonathan Pollard, who sold US intelligence secrets to Israel a while back, is trying to appeal his life sentence. He’s considered a hero in Israel, but as I understand the facts of his case, I think the guy should’ve been hanged.

The usual arguments in his defense are:

  1. Israel is our ally and we shouldn’t have secrets from them anyway

  2. The secrets he passed along don’t warrant the harsh sentence he received

  3. Gentiles convicted of what he did are typically out of prison after 12-15 years

To which I reply:

  1. Allies don’t have full disclosure to one another. They are still separate states with separate interests

  2. The secrets he passed along were bartered to the Soviet government in exchange for the release of some Soviet Jews. Happy ending–except for the many American double agents in the KGB who were executed as a result of the exposure. For this alone, Pollard should have been executed

  3. Name one

Are there some other things I should consider here? Can any dopers set me straight on why this guy should ever see the outside of a federal prison again? What is the other side of this argument?

2

Not that I’m defending Pollard, but the US government did act in bad faith. They promised Pollard that, if he pled guilty, he wouldn’t get a life sentence, and then gave him a life sentence after he pled guilty. Also, there’s evidence that Weinberger, in his letter, exaggerated the damage that Pollard’s espionage caused…that really, the secrets he stole weren’t particularly damaging to American national security.

Also, to answer your question number 3, here’s a list of other convicted spies, how long they were sentenced, and how long they served. The site is obviously biased toward Pollard, and I haven’t checked these cases out myself, so of course, you should take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.jonathanpollard.org/sentences.htm

3

All in all, it is remarkable how much of a disconnect there is between American and Israeli public (or political) opinion on this guy.

The Israelis (as I understand it) really think this guy will be/should be released someday. No American politician thinks so.

He is going to rot in jail.

That does not bother me a bit.