Haaretz is reporting that Bitan is proposing a law that would have the State of Israel pay a pension of sorts to Jonathan Pollard for the rest of his life. As well, the State of Israel would pay all his upcoming medical bills and his living expenses.Bitan explains that considering what Pollard has done for Israel, it is incumbent upon the State to take care that Pollard should be able to live respectfully. Bitan knows that there is a good chance that the USA would oppose such a pension, and solidifying it in law would help Israel not be forced to succumb to such pressures.
Should Israel pay such a pension to Pollard? Perhaps. i think he has earned it. I think he deserves it.
But I worry how it will look.
We criticize the Palestinians for paying monthly salaries to terrorists and to the families of martyrs. We criticize the Palestinians for honoring the terrorists, both those who get back alive and those who return dead - they honor them by naming streets and traffic circles and neighborhoods after the terrorists.
How would it look if Israel paid the American spy a monthly salary to honor him for what he did? How would it look if Bnei Akiva would name a new "shevet" after Pollard to honor him, as it was recently reported they are considering doing?
I don't want to imply that there is some equivalence between Pollard and Palestinian terrorists, but in the world's eyes, and especially in the USA, honoring him in such a way would definitely be perceived in a similar way as to how we perceive the honor the Palestinians bestow upon their terrorists.
Israel needs to stand by its agent. It has some sort of responsibility to take care of the guy they sent into the field and then let suffer for many years because of it. Israel needs to find the right way to do it. I don't know if such funding is the right way. Maybe the money should be given but in a more creative way.
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I have to admit. I don't understand the fuss made over Pollard. It's not as if Israel did not and does not have other spies, both in the US and around the world. This is simply the way the world works.
ReplyDeleteThe state should have been paying Pollard a 'pension' since he was incarcerated, unless the state wants to claim he was not a state employee rather a contractor/osek morsheh :-/
ReplyDeleteAs for comparing murderers and spies, I would not go there and concur with Avi. They spy on us, we spy on them. Both sides try not to get caught.
They denied it! :'(
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