Lobby says President should refuse U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom until Pollard is freed.
By Barak Ravid and The Associated Press

The White House rejected the appeal by Israeli president Shimon Peres to grant clemency to Jonathan Pollard on Monday, saying its position hasn’t changed, and that the president has no intention to release Pollard.

President Shimon Peres sent a personal letter to President Obama on Monday, urging Obama to consider granting clemency to Jonathan Pollard, citing the convicted spy's deteriorating health.

Peres updated his U.S. counterpart on a conversation he conducted a few days ago with Esther Pollard, the convicted spy's wife, stressing that the Pollard family, as well as the Jewish people, were concerned about Pollard's health.

The president sent the missive after receiving a petition signed by 80 MKs, urging Obama to release the Jewish spy, as well as intense pressure from the lobby working to secure Pollard's release ahead of Peres' White House visit planned for June.

During that meeting, Peres is expected to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which, the Pollard lobby argues, the president should refuse until the convicted spy is released.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/white-house-rejects-president-peres-plea-to-release-pollard-1.423499

he Americans are convinced Pollard – who spied on behalf of Israel in the 1980?s – didn’t act alone, and have made it clear that if Israel gives up the other name(s), he can go free.

<snip>

"It’s been a mystery for many years why Jonathan Pollard is still in prison, why U.S. president after president refuses to pardon him. The reason in the minds of his hardcore right-wing supporters, those who see him as a Jewish hero, is anti-Israeli/anti-Semitic feeling high up in Washington, which is too stupid and rotten a claim to bother refuting. No, it has to be an American belief that freeing Pollard could do further damage to U.S. security, because Pollard - and Israel – have clearly been taught a harsh enough lesson for the crimes he committed. It’s absolutely true what his supporters say – spies who worked for America’s enemies have gotten off far easier than he did for spying for an American ally. He’s in the 27th year of a life sentence with no pardon in sight, the White House reportedly having turned down Peres’ request this week. (Pollard was hospitalized over the weekend with ”severe pain,” hence the renewed push for a pardon, which is getting a lot of publicity here.)

But now, finally, an explanation for Pollard’s exhorbitant punishment is coming to light: The Americans have believed all along that he wasn’t the only spy working for Israel, and until Israel comes clean, he stays behind bars.

The first mention of this came on Monday in Nahum Barnea’s Yedioth Ahronoth column, where he wrote that after Pollard’s 1985 arrest, the Americans asked the Israelis: Who gave the order to spy on the United States, who else besides Pollard was spying, and who in the political leadership (led at the time by PM Peres, FM Shamir and DM Rabin) knew what was going on?

“They chose to lie,” wrote Barnea. “Thus, the heads of the U.S. intelligence agencies are convinced to this day that Pollard was merely one screw in an Israeli spying machine.”

Then today Yedioth reported Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon saying, “Former CIA Director George Tenet once admitted to me that the U.S. is convinced that Pollard had a partner. Tenet said that until they know who that partner is, Pollard will stay in prison.” Ayalon, Israel’s ambassador in Washington in 2002-2006, added: ”I explained to Tenet that it’s not correct, and that Israel is not gathering intelligence in the United States, but I understood from him and from other senior American officials that they see Pollard as a bargaining chip that can land them this partner who they believe is still active.”

http://972mag.com/is-an-israeli-cover-up-keeping-jonathan-pollard-in-prison/41080/