The John Kerry–brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority reached a painful crossroads this week.
On Dec. 30, Israel released a third group of Palestinian prisoners, all 26 of them with blood on their hands. This caused an outcry, with many Israelis outraged to see murderers go free.
The Netanyahu government agreed last July to free 104 prisoners; the fourth and final release is to take place by April. Then, this week PA President Mahmoud Abbas sought to move the goal posts by claiming there would be no final agreement with Israel until all Palestinian prisoners are set free.
Amid the Palestinian demands, a compelling idea was floated this week, one that Israel ought to press vigorously: no more Palestinian prisoner releases unless the United States frees Jonathan Pollard.
Pollard is the former U.S. naval intelligence officer convicted in 1987 of passing state secrets to Israel. After a plea deal, he was given a life sentence, though he is eligible for parole in late 2015.
For more than 25 years, the Pollard case has divided the Jewish community and been a source of friction between Israel and the United States. Many felt the sentence was just, given the gravity of his crime. Others disagreed, noting that no one convicted of a similar crime involving two allies had ever received such a harsh sentence.
Now 59, Pollard has suffered while in jail. His health has deteriorated. The man has paid for his crimes, which were, after all, committed on behalf of one of America’s closest friends. In recent years, calls for his release have come from Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Knesset, a growing number of American Jewish groups and U.S. political leaders including former Secretary of State George Shultz.
Moreover, in the wake of revelations last month that the United States spied on Israeli prime ministers over the years, it seems hypocritical to keep Pollard in prison for espionage when it is now known to have gone both ways.
If the Palestinians can pressure the United States to lean on Israel, why can’t Israel lean on the Obama administration with a few demands of its own?
Encouragingly, Secretary of State Kerry has agreed to consider Pollard’s release as part of the package that includes the fourth and final release of Palestinian prisoners. Freeing that group of 52 will be a bitter pill for Israel to swallow, but freeing Pollard might ease the pain.
Expectations for a successful outcome of these talks have not been high. But as long as the parties are talking, and the United States refereeing, Israel ought to extract as much as possible when it comes to its security. By leveraging Jonathan Pollard’s freedom, Israel would bring about a long overdue act of justice, as well.