After United with Israel published an article titled “Prominent Americans Advocate Freedom for Pollard,” United With Israel readers were invited to write in expressing how they felt about the Jonathan Pollard case. As an organization dedicated to promoting Israel within social media, United With Israel always welcomes feedback from readers on various topics and enjoys reading what readers have to say. Yet on this subject, we especially wanted feedback.
We observed that most of the readers who wrote in supported Jonathan Pollard being freed from prison. Readers repeatedly declared how it is unfair that Jonathan Pollard got a life sentence, when the average sentence for spying for an ally within the United States is only several years and other people who spied for countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia received much more lenient sentences. Thus, most UWI readers who wrote in believe that Pollard has served more than enough time within prison. Below, we would like to share some of the feedback that we received from readers.
One reader wrote in, “I am horrified to read about Jonathan Pollard and his imprisonment. That this is a racially-fuelled gross miscarriage of justice needs to be made public world-wide. The US touts itself as the greatest country in the world, as being free, just, good, you name it. Rubbish. This type of injustice not only is cruel, it makes a mockery of the American concept of liberty and justice. The US must, swiftly, free Mr. Pollard, with an enormous apology. He has served much too long for the mistake he made. Just because he is Jewish and gave information to an ally doesn’t mean he should be imprisoned longer than others who have committed far greater crimes.”
Another reader stated, “For about ten years now, since I first read about Mr. Pollard, I have been praying daily for his release…I keep hoping his story will eventually be made more public so that the average American will know this miscarriage of justice…It seems from my standpoint that justice was served a long time ago and now it’s time to bury the hatchet. There are some very vengeful people in government from 26 years back or is it just plain anti-semitism? Oh yes, for 6 1/2 years I was on the Kansas State Parole Board, one year as Chairman. I think I know what fair punishment looks like and Jonathan Pollard has served way more than he should have.”
Still yet another reader proclaimed, “That Jonathan Pollard was ever given a life sentence was a very gross miscarriage of justice and those who were responsible for it will be held accountable in God’s final judgment. He should be released immediately. To think that those who conspire to harm this great nation are given mere pittances of sentences, yet this man who never sought to harm the US was given life, boggles the mind.” Furthermore, another United With Israel reader declared, “If the statistics regarding inequitable prison sentencing of Jonathan Pollard when compared to like crimes is true, than the United States is no different in its level of antisemitism as France was with the trial of Alfred Dreyfus in the late 1800’s. Pathetic and shameful!” Most of the comments that United With Israel received made similar assertions.
By Rachel Avraham
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