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1. German President Warns: Iran Threatens 'New Shoah'
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Germany is "very concerned" about Iran's nuclear program posing a threat to Europe, as well as the Middle East, German President Joachim Gauck said in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"I'm very concerned about Iran's nuclear program. It represents not only a concrete danger for Israel but for the whole region and potentially even for us in Europe," he said upon meeting Israeli President Shimon Peres.
He nonetheless asserted the need for finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
"Germany is committed to a diplomatic solution based on sanctions," he said, referring to increased sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by Western powers in an effort to curtail the regime’s nuclear ambitions.
"Iran's president is threatening a new Shoah. We cannot ignore that," Gauck said.
"The commitment to Israel's security and right to exist is a determining factor of Germany's politics."
During his visit, the German President visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum and met with the families of the slain Israeli athletes, who were murdered by Arab terrorists during the 1972 Munich Games 40 years ago.
He also met Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich, an official statement said.
Peres welcomed the German premier saying, “During the 47 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries, we have built an extensive network of close ties that are not solely reserved to statesmen and diplomats, but also encompass our two peoples.”
“Within this framework there is the need for an open, sincere and candid dialogue among German and Israeli youth, in which they will discuss the past and build the future,” he said.
Comment on this story
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Germany is "very concerned" about Iran's nuclear program posing a threat to Europe, as well as the Middle East, German President Joachim Gauck said in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"I'm very concerned about Iran's nuclear program. It represents not only a concrete danger for Israel but for the whole region and potentially even for us in Europe," he said upon meeting Israeli President Shimon Peres.
He nonetheless asserted the need for finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
"Germany is committed to a diplomatic solution based on sanctions," he said, referring to increased sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by Western powers in an effort to curtail the regime’s nuclear ambitions.
"Iran's president is threatening a new Shoah. We cannot ignore that," Gauck said.
"The commitment to Israel's security and right to exist is a determining factor of Germany's politics."
During his visit, the German President visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum and met with the families of the slain Israeli athletes, who were murdered by Arab terrorists during the 1972 Munich Games 40 years ago.
He also met Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich, an official statement said.
Peres welcomed the German premier saying, “During the 47 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries, we have built an extensive network of close ties that are not solely reserved to statesmen and diplomats, but also encompass our two peoples.”
“Within this framework there is the need for an open, sincere and candid dialogue among German and Israeli youth, in which they will discuss the past and build the future,” he said.
Tags: Israel ,Germany ,Shimon Peres ,Joachim Gauck
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2. Iran Thinks US and Israel Unable to Attack, Says Barak
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Iran is convinced that Israeli and the United States are unable to stage an attack on its nuclear facilities, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Wednesday morning.
He added that Iran is only trying to buy time while it tries to reach the point where it cannot be successfully attacked and can develop the capability to manufacture a nuclear weapon.
Speaking at an INSS conference at Tel Aviv University, Barak warned, “The Iranian threat is significant and is not disappearing. We are at a fateful crossroads." Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spelled out at the conference Tuesday night Israel’s demands from the world powers trying to reach an agreement with Iran over international supervision of its nuclear program. Iran already is enriching 20 percent grade uranium, a key element for a nuclear weapon, and Israel wants it to be restricted to "zero enrichment."
“Why not draw clear red lines,” Barak said in his lecture, adding that the Iranian Ayatollah and his aides “are not dumb and correctly understand [their nuclear program] is being exposed and that action might be taken to endanger their progress.
Barak also warned, “The practicality of their actions is to buy more time until it is immune to an attack and can take the additional step of manufacturing a nuclear weapon.”
He explained that the “Iranians work systematically and patiently” towards their nuclear objective.
The Defense Minster said the world’s objective must be “to stop Iran from gaining nuclear capability, and no option should be taken off the table.”
He said that besides the Iranian threat, Israel faces other challenges from terrorism in general and from the entire situation in the Middle East.
Noting that he and Prime Minister Netanyahu do not “take decisions by ourselves in some dark room," Barak declared, “The government of Israel is responsible for taking decisions on the future of the security f the country – and I carefully add for the Jewish people, most of whom live in our tiny country.”
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Iran is convinced that Israeli and the United States are unable to stage an attack on its nuclear facilities, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Wednesday morning.
He added that Iran is only trying to buy time while it tries to reach the point where it cannot be successfully attacked and can develop the capability to manufacture a nuclear weapon.
Speaking at an INSS conference at Tel Aviv University, Barak warned, “The Iranian threat is significant and is not disappearing. We are at a fateful crossroads." Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spelled out at the conference Tuesday night Israel’s demands from the world powers trying to reach an agreement with Iran over international supervision of its nuclear program. Iran already is enriching 20 percent grade uranium, a key element for a nuclear weapon, and Israel wants it to be restricted to "zero enrichment."
“Why not draw clear red lines,” Barak said in his lecture, adding that the Iranian Ayatollah and his aides “are not dumb and correctly understand [their nuclear program] is being exposed and that action might be taken to endanger their progress.
Barak also warned, “The practicality of their actions is to buy more time until it is immune to an attack and can take the additional step of manufacturing a nuclear weapon.”
He explained that the “Iranians work systematically and patiently” towards their nuclear objective.
The Defense Minster said the world’s objective must be “to stop Iran from gaining nuclear capability, and no option should be taken off the table.”
He said that besides the Iranian threat, Israel faces other challenges from terrorism in general and from the entire situation in the Middle East.
Noting that he and Prime Minister Netanyahu do not “take decisions by ourselves in some dark room," Barak declared, “The government of Israel is responsible for taking decisions on the future of the security f the country – and I carefully add for the Jewish people, most of whom live in our tiny country.”
Tags: Iran Nuclear threat ,Israel-US ,Ehud Barak
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3. Expert: Attack on Iran Would be Better than Nuclear Iran
by Elad Benari
Former Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin said on Tuesday that military action in Iran would be less dangerous to Israel than if Iran obtains a nuclear bomb.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Yadlin said, according to Army Radio, “Attacking Iran would be less dangerous for Israel than a nuclear Iran, but we need to work out a strategic plan not only for the attack itself but also for the day after the attack.”
Speaking at the same conference, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed his disappointment over the way the negotiations between world powers and Iran, over its disputed nuclear program, were going.
“Not only should the sanctions on Iran be increased, the demands for which the sanctions were imposed must be increased and it must be insisted that Iran meets these requirements in full,” Netanyahu said.
He added, “Iran should stop all enrichment of nuclear material, it should remove all the material that has been enriched up to now and it should shut down the underground nuclear facility in Qom. Only an explicit Iranian commitment to realize all three of these requirements and ensuring their implementation can stop the Iranian nuclear program. This should be the target of the negotiations, but I say with regret that this is not what is demanded from Iran today.”
Also speaking at the conference was Michèle Flournoy, former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, who warned that “Any military strike will only delay, not destroy, Iran’s nuclear program.”
According to Flournoy, who cited the INSS paper that was distributed ahead of the conference, “It is something that would buy us time, but it would not by itself solve the problem in any enduring way.
The paper, she pointed out, said a military strike would need to be followed by international pressure on Iran. This means that the international community would need to have supported a military strike in the first place.
“If Israel, or any other country, were to launch a unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear program prematurely, it would undermine the legitimacy of the action in the eyes of the broader international community and would undermine the ability of the international community to come together for this critical longer term campaign,” said Flournoy.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Former Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin said on Tuesday that military action in Iran would be less dangerous to Israel than if Iran obtains a nuclear bomb.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Yadlin said, according to Army Radio, “Attacking Iran would be less dangerous for Israel than a nuclear Iran, but we need to work out a strategic plan not only for the attack itself but also for the day after the attack.”
Speaking at the same conference, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed his disappointment over the way the negotiations between world powers and Iran, over its disputed nuclear program, were going.
“Not only should the sanctions on Iran be increased, the demands for which the sanctions were imposed must be increased and it must be insisted that Iran meets these requirements in full,” Netanyahu said.
He added, “Iran should stop all enrichment of nuclear material, it should remove all the material that has been enriched up to now and it should shut down the underground nuclear facility in Qom. Only an explicit Iranian commitment to realize all three of these requirements and ensuring their implementation can stop the Iranian nuclear program. This should be the target of the negotiations, but I say with regret that this is not what is demanded from Iran today.”
Also speaking at the conference was Michèle Flournoy, former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, who warned that “Any military strike will only delay, not destroy, Iran’s nuclear program.”
According to Flournoy, who cited the INSS paper that was distributed ahead of the conference, “It is something that would buy us time, but it would not by itself solve the problem in any enduring way.
The paper, she pointed out, said a military strike would need to be followed by international pressure on Iran. This means that the international community would need to have supported a military strike in the first place.
“If Israel, or any other country, were to launch a unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear program prematurely, it would undermine the legitimacy of the action in the eyes of the broader international community and would undermine the ability of the international community to come together for this critical longer term campaign,” said Flournoy.
Tags: Iran ,Iran Nuclear threat ,Amos Yadlin
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4. State to Indict Journalist Uri Blau
by Chana Ya'ar
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has announced the State has decided to indict Haaretz journalist Uri Blau. The reporter is to be charged with unauthorized possession of classified documents, Weinstein said in a statement released Wednesday.
He added that he would not accuse the journalist of the more serious offense of traditional espionage. In his statement, Weinstein told reporters he had decided to reject the journalist's arguments after weighing all factors involved.
The case involves classified documents that Blau received from then-IDF soldier Anat Kam, who is currently serving a prison term of 4.5 years for stealing the classified information and passing it on to unauthorized individuals.
Kam is appealing her conviction and sentence for passing classified information to Blau. Under the so-called "Kam Law", the penalty for the crime she is convicted of would be lower than the current penalty listed in the espionage and treason statute. Thus, her attorneys reason, the law's passage could help her appeal.
Both the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet, or “Shabak”) and the State Prosecutor's Office, as well as the Israel Police, found the case to be serious enough to merit an indictment, Weinstein said.
Blau returned about 50 of the documents to the Shabak he received from Anat Kam. However, authorities subsequently realized that not all of the documents had been returned, while the State had meanwhile reimbursed Blau for his computer that was destroyed during the course of the investigation.
"Blau blatantly broke the agreement he signed, allegedly lied to investigators and handed over only a small part of the stolen military information he received,” the statement said.
Blau recently returned to Israel in accordance with an agreement made with the Prosecutor's Office after saying he had turned over all documents he received from Kam and others sources. He also agreed to be investigated, including undergoing a lie detector test.
"The potential for damage in the unprotected possession of the documents was enormous,” Weinstein said in his statement.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has announced the State has decided to indict Haaretz journalist Uri Blau. The reporter is to be charged with unauthorized possession of classified documents, Weinstein said in a statement released Wednesday.
He added that he would not accuse the journalist of the more serious offense of traditional espionage. In his statement, Weinstein told reporters he had decided to reject the journalist's arguments after weighing all factors involved.
The case involves classified documents that Blau received from then-IDF soldier Anat Kam, who is currently serving a prison term of 4.5 years for stealing the classified information and passing it on to unauthorized individuals.
Kam is appealing her conviction and sentence for passing classified information to Blau. Under the so-called "Kam Law", the penalty for the crime she is convicted of would be lower than the current penalty listed in the espionage and treason statute. Thus, her attorneys reason, the law's passage could help her appeal.
Both the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet, or “Shabak”) and the State Prosecutor's Office, as well as the Israel Police, found the case to be serious enough to merit an indictment, Weinstein said.
Blau returned about 50 of the documents to the Shabak he received from Anat Kam. However, authorities subsequently realized that not all of the documents had been returned, while the State had meanwhile reimbursed Blau for his computer that was destroyed during the course of the investigation.
"Blau blatantly broke the agreement he signed, allegedly lied to investigators and handed over only a small part of the stolen military information he received,” the statement said.
Blau recently returned to Israel in accordance with an agreement made with the Prosecutor's Office after saying he had turned over all documents he received from Kam and others sources. He also agreed to be investigated, including undergoing a lie detector test.
"The potential for damage in the unprotected possession of the documents was enormous,” Weinstein said in his statement.
More on this topic
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5. Barak Suggests Unilateral Disengagement in Judea, Samaria
by Chana Ya'ar
Defense Minister Ehud Barak suggested Wednesday in a speech to the annual conference of the Institute for National Security Studies that Israel consider a unilateral disengagement from Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron, also called "Yesha") -- similar to that carried out by the Israeli government in the Gush Katif region of Gaza in August 2005.
Nearly 10,000 Jews were expelled from their homes, and deprived of their businesses and livelihoods in the process. Residents of some 23 settlements in Gush Katif and northern Samaria were later given compensation payments for their homes, but most were left jobless and with their things in storage for years at a time. Moreover, they were forced to continue paying mortgages on homes that were destroyed, as well as having to pay for typical day-to-day expenses such as food, school supplies and other necessities of life.
"If it is impossible to reach an agreement with the Palestinian [Authority Arabs],” he said, “we should consider an interim arrangement, or even a unilateral disengagement, recommended Barak.”
He added that he now sees an opportunity to explore such a move due to the fact that the current government coalition is very broad, comprising 94 seats. “It's time to lead the political process,” he said.
"We are on borrowed time,” Barak went on to say. “We are going to come up against the wall and pay a price for that. People who are now in a coma are later going to ask, 'how did we get to this point?'”
Most of Barak's attention, however, was directed to the Iranian issue. “The Iranians are a patient people,” he noted. “They say to themselves, 'We waited 4,000 years for nuclear capability – we can wait a few weeks and not do anything that will spark action by Israel or the Americans,'” Barak said.
What is the ultimate sword on one's neck? Not waiting for them to have the ability, because that will be too late. There is no place for closing one's eyes.”
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Defense Minister Ehud Barak suggested Wednesday in a speech to the annual conference of the Institute for National Security Studies that Israel consider a unilateral disengagement from Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron, also called "Yesha") -- similar to that carried out by the Israeli government in the Gush Katif region of Gaza in August 2005.
Nearly 10,000 Jews were expelled from their homes, and deprived of their businesses and livelihoods in the process. Residents of some 23 settlements in Gush Katif and northern Samaria were later given compensation payments for their homes, but most were left jobless and with their things in storage for years at a time. Moreover, they were forced to continue paying mortgages on homes that were destroyed, as well as having to pay for typical day-to-day expenses such as food, school supplies and other necessities of life.
"If it is impossible to reach an agreement with the Palestinian [Authority Arabs],” he said, “we should consider an interim arrangement, or even a unilateral disengagement, recommended Barak.”
He added that he now sees an opportunity to explore such a move due to the fact that the current government coalition is very broad, comprising 94 seats. “It's time to lead the political process,” he said.
"We are on borrowed time,” Barak went on to say. “We are going to come up against the wall and pay a price for that. People who are now in a coma are later going to ask, 'how did we get to this point?'”
Most of Barak's attention, however, was directed to the Iranian issue. “The Iranians are a patient people,” he noted. “They say to themselves, 'We waited 4,000 years for nuclear capability – we can wait a few weeks and not do anything that will spark action by Israel or the Americans,'” Barak said.
What is the ultimate sword on one's neck? Not waiting for them to have the ability, because that will be too late. There is no place for closing one's eyes.”
More on this topic
Comment on this story
6. Mainstream Media Now Calls PA Farmers ‘Peasants’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A journalist covering the State Dept. called Palestinian Authority residents “peasants” and cited “settler violence” without mentioning Arab terrorism and vandalism against Jews. The State Department did not challenge the terms.
A reporter at the State Dept. daily press briefing Tuesday asked spokeswoman Olivia Nuland, “Are you aware of increased assaults by the settlers on the Palestinian peasants, destroying their crops and in fact injuring them, shooting them – one is in a very serious condition. Are you aware of these activities?”
He apparently was referring to recently-released and heavily edited videos by the left-wing B’Tselem group that showed what appeared to be Jewish attacks on Arabs. Subsequent videos revealed that the Jews were responding to arson and attacks and vandalism on property within their communities.
Nuland told the journalist, “I didn’t have any new information today, but I think you know where we’ve traditionally been on these issues.”
Although the questioner referred to “peasants,” a word defined by Websters-Merriam dictionary as a “usually uneducated person of low social status, many if not most of people at disturbances in Judea and Samaria are Arab and left-wing activists.
Arutz Sheva has learned from official sources that some of the “protesters” at clashes with Jews and the IDF are paid by left-wing groups.
Hundreds of attacks on Jewish farmers have been reported by Arutz Sheva the past several years, but almost none are reported by foreign mainstream media. The attacks have included dozens of proven arsons of Jewish farms and homes and the destruction of tens of thousands saplings.
The State Dept. still is promoting the “peace process” although is not certain of what is happening.
Asked at the daily briefing about the “status of U.S. mediator David Hale, Nuland said, “I think I had mentioned that I thought he was going to travel this week. It now looks like it will be probably another ten days.
“But he is continuing to work with the Quartet members. He’s continuing to work with the parties on the phone and remaining in touch and trying to build on, as I said, this exchange of letters that the President and prime minister have had.”
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A journalist covering the State Dept. called Palestinian Authority residents “peasants” and cited “settler violence” without mentioning Arab terrorism and vandalism against Jews. The State Department did not challenge the terms.
A reporter at the State Dept. daily press briefing Tuesday asked spokeswoman Olivia Nuland, “Are you aware of increased assaults by the settlers on the Palestinian peasants, destroying their crops and in fact injuring them, shooting them – one is in a very serious condition. Are you aware of these activities?”
He apparently was referring to recently-released and heavily edited videos by the left-wing B’Tselem group that showed what appeared to be Jewish attacks on Arabs. Subsequent videos revealed that the Jews were responding to arson and attacks and vandalism on property within their communities.
Nuland told the journalist, “I didn’t have any new information today, but I think you know where we’ve traditionally been on these issues.”
Although the questioner referred to “peasants,” a word defined by Websters-Merriam dictionary as a “usually uneducated person of low social status, many if not most of people at disturbances in Judea and Samaria are Arab and left-wing activists.
Arutz Sheva has learned from official sources that some of the “protesters” at clashes with Jews and the IDF are paid by left-wing groups.
Hundreds of attacks on Jewish farmers have been reported by Arutz Sheva the past several years, but almost none are reported by foreign mainstream media. The attacks have included dozens of proven arsons of Jewish farms and homes and the destruction of tens of thousands saplings.
The State Dept. still is promoting the “peace process” although is not certain of what is happening.
Asked at the daily briefing about the “status of U.S. mediator David Hale, Nuland said, “I think I had mentioned that I thought he was going to travel this week. It now looks like it will be probably another ten days.
“But he is continuing to work with the Quartet members. He’s continuing to work with the parties on the phone and remaining in touch and trying to build on, as I said, this exchange of letters that the President and prime minister have had.”
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7. 'Glorification' Expected after PA Gets 91 Terrorists' Bodies
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israel agrees to another “goodwill gesture” to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and will return 91 bodies of terrorists to the PA, which usually uses them to glorify suicide bombings and other attacks on Israelis.
The PA has frequently named public places after terrorists and has cited them as examples for children to follow and become martyrs. Abbas will head a welcoming ceremony in Ramallah on Thursday, when the bodies are to be returned.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also has agreed to return the bodies of another 39 terrorists at a later date.
PA Minister for Civil Affairs Hussein a-Sheikh published on Tuesday evening a list of the names of the dead terrorists to be returned, murderers who killed hundreds of Israelis.
The bodies include the suicide bomber who murdered 18 people in a suicide bombing of Egged Bus Number 2 in Jerusalem, 16 others in a similar attack in Be’er Sheva, and six people at Jerusalem’s Café Hillel.
Other terrorists’ bodies that will be returned are those of the Hevron bomber who attacked a hitchhiking station in Ashkelon, killing one woman soldier; the suicide bomber who blew himself up at the entrance to Tel Aviv's Stage nightclub in 2005, where four Israelis were killed; and the female terrorist who killed three people and herself in a suicide bombing in Afula in 2003.
Israel also will return the bodies of six terrorists killed when elite IDF soldiers carried out a rescue mission after the terrorist attack on the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv in 1975, where eight Israeli hostages were murdered.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israel agrees to another “goodwill gesture” to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and will return 91 bodies of terrorists to the PA, which usually uses them to glorify suicide bombings and other attacks on Israelis.
The PA has frequently named public places after terrorists and has cited them as examples for children to follow and become martyrs. Abbas will head a welcoming ceremony in Ramallah on Thursday, when the bodies are to be returned.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also has agreed to return the bodies of another 39 terrorists at a later date.
PA Minister for Civil Affairs Hussein a-Sheikh published on Tuesday evening a list of the names of the dead terrorists to be returned, murderers who killed hundreds of Israelis.
The bodies include the suicide bomber who murdered 18 people in a suicide bombing of Egged Bus Number 2 in Jerusalem, 16 others in a similar attack in Be’er Sheva, and six people at Jerusalem’s Café Hillel.
Other terrorists’ bodies that will be returned are those of the Hevron bomber who attacked a hitchhiking station in Ashkelon, killing one woman soldier; the suicide bomber who blew himself up at the entrance to Tel Aviv's Stage nightclub in 2005, where four Israelis were killed; and the female terrorist who killed three people and herself in a suicide bombing in Afula in 2003.
Israel also will return the bodies of six terrorists killed when elite IDF soldiers carried out a rescue mission after the terrorist attack on the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv in 1975, where eight Israeli hostages were murdered.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
8. Bereaved Mother: U.S. is Humanitarian? If So, Release Pollard
by Elad Benari
Esther and Yehuda Wachsman, parents of soldier Nachshon Wachsman who was kidnapped in 1994 by Hamas terrorists and killed during a failed rescue attempt, have sent a letter to President Shimon Peres in which they request that Peres ask the U.S. to release Jonathan Pollard.
Esther Wachsman told Arutz Sheva on Tuesday that she and her husband sent the letter because they feel it is their responsibility to ensure that this opportunity to rescue Pollard is not missed.
“President Shimon Peres is about to receive the Medal of Freedom from President Obama, and we want to mention that Jonathan Pollard has had no freedom for 27 years,” she said. “He confessed and expressed remorse, and it is time that our brother Jonathan is freed and comes to the State of Israel.”
Esther Wachsman, who as a bereaved mother agreed to see her son’s killer being released in exchange for Gilad Shalit, said that she expects Obama to behave in a humanitarian manner.
“We do not compare what happened to our son with what is happening to Pollard,” she stressed. “America is not Hamas, but the Americans take pride in being a humanitarian country, so it’s time to release Pollard, after 27 years he deserves it. His offenses were not any more serious than those made by others who have been freed long ago.”
Wachsman added, “I agreed, as a bereaved mother, to release my son's murderer for humanitarian reasons. I wished that he would rot in jail for the rest of his life. But as a mother who never got her son back, I supported a mother who was able to get her son back.”
The Wachsmans are part of a group of bereaved families who watched as Israel released their loved ones’ murderers in exchange for Shalit, and who have implored Peres to exert himself in seeking Pollard's freedom.
“The price we paid requires us to act to save his life,” the families wrote to Peres. “In recent years we have found ourselves on opposite sides of the terrible situation that rips the public to pieces, but we can come together for this great cause.”
“As those who have paid a personal and terrible price for building Israel,” they wrote, “we understand how priceless it is for us to save lives ourselves. We feel obligated to pursue the sacred duty to save a life, which would be realized in the case of Jonathan Pollard.”
Peres, who pressed Obama to release Pollard in person when the two Presidents met in March and again in April by phone when Pollard was moved to a prison hospital ward, has already agreed to ask for Pollard's release again in June.
He will also carry a letter from 80 Knesset members imploring Obama to release Pollard to the June meeting.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Esther and Yehuda Wachsman, parents of soldier Nachshon Wachsman who was kidnapped in 1994 by Hamas terrorists and killed during a failed rescue attempt, have sent a letter to President Shimon Peres in which they request that Peres ask the U.S. to release Jonathan Pollard.
Esther Wachsman told Arutz Sheva on Tuesday that she and her husband sent the letter because they feel it is their responsibility to ensure that this opportunity to rescue Pollard is not missed.
“President Shimon Peres is about to receive the Medal of Freedom from President Obama, and we want to mention that Jonathan Pollard has had no freedom for 27 years,” she said. “He confessed and expressed remorse, and it is time that our brother Jonathan is freed and comes to the State of Israel.”
Esther Wachsman, who as a bereaved mother agreed to see her son’s killer being released in exchange for Gilad Shalit, said that she expects Obama to behave in a humanitarian manner.
“We do not compare what happened to our son with what is happening to Pollard,” she stressed. “America is not Hamas, but the Americans take pride in being a humanitarian country, so it’s time to release Pollard, after 27 years he deserves it. His offenses were not any more serious than those made by others who have been freed long ago.”
Wachsman added, “I agreed, as a bereaved mother, to release my son's murderer for humanitarian reasons. I wished that he would rot in jail for the rest of his life. But as a mother who never got her son back, I supported a mother who was able to get her son back.”
The Wachsmans are part of a group of bereaved families who watched as Israel released their loved ones’ murderers in exchange for Shalit, and who have implored Peres to exert himself in seeking Pollard's freedom.
“The price we paid requires us to act to save his life,” the families wrote to Peres. “In recent years we have found ourselves on opposite sides of the terrible situation that rips the public to pieces, but we can come together for this great cause.”
“As those who have paid a personal and terrible price for building Israel,” they wrote, “we understand how priceless it is for us to save lives ourselves. We feel obligated to pursue the sacred duty to save a life, which would be realized in the case of Jonathan Pollard.”
Peres, who pressed Obama to release Pollard in person when the two Presidents met in March and again in April by phone when Pollard was moved to a prison hospital ward, has already agreed to ask for Pollard's release again in June.
He will also carry a letter from 80 Knesset members imploring Obama to release Pollard to the June meeting.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
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