Pollard could be free by Passover

Will America’s desire to prevent the collapse of the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations lead to the release of imprisoned Israel spy Jonathan Pollard? According to numerous reports, which cite American officials, the U.S. is talking with Israel about the possibility of freeing Pollard as part of a bid to save the faltering peace talks.

Pollard reportedly would be freed before the Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins in two weeks’ time, provided Israel goes ahead with the fourth round of the prisoner release, which was originally scheduled for this past weekend but was not carried out.

The Prime Minister’s Office has not commented on reports that Pollard could be included in a deal on the prisoner release and an extension of the peace talks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised the issue of Pollard numerous times with U.S. officials, including during his most recent meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington last month.

Until now, the U.S. has always said it had no intention of releasing Pollard, who was arrested in 1985 and later sentenced to life in prison. That stance seemed to change on Monday when a U.S. official told The New York Times that no decision has been made yet on Pollard.

According to The New York Times report, U.S. officials said the potential release of Pollard is part of larger discussion on a broader deal between Israel and the Palestinians to extend the peace negotiations. That deal has yet to be agreed upon and Obama would have to personally sign off on Pollard’s release, U.S. officials said.

The Politico news website noted that as opposed to the usual declaration that Pollard will not be freed, the White House has recently opted not to speak on the topic. White House spokesman Jay Carney on Monday declined to discuss any possible deal involving Pollard.

„He is a person who is convicted of espionage and is serving his sentence,” Carney told reporters at the White House. „I don’t have any updates on his situation.”

Meanwhile, Israel has drafted a very flexible proposal regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners and an extension of the peace talks.

Under the proposal, Israel would agree to release 400 Palestinian prisoners and restrain government construction outside the main settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria. In return, the Palestinians would agree to a one-year extension of the peace talks.

The prisoners to be freed would terrorist group members without blood on their hands (not Palestinians charged with criminal offenses) and their identities and release dates would be decided by Israel.

The construction freeze would not be brought to a vote in the government, but would stand as an agreement between Israel, the U.S. and the Palestinians. As of Tuesday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had not given a positive response to the generous Israeli offer.

It is believed that the proposal to release 400 more prisoners would be approved by the government, despite the opposition of Habayit Hayehudi ministers and some Likud and Yisrael Beytenu ministers. Israel would also go ahead with the fourth stage of the prisoner release, but without the Israeli Arab prisoners being freed.

Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (Habayit Hayehudi) spoke about the issue on Monday. „I hope we do not have to face this challenge, but if we have to we will do it with honor,” Ariel said.

Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud) said he expects U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry „to stop with the double standards and constant demands for Israeli concessions.”

Kerry arrived in Israel on Monday, as he tries to keep the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks alive.

Credit: Reuters, GPO

On Tuesday morning, Kerry met Netanyahu for the second time in less than 12 hours. 

Kerry broke into his travel schedule on Monday for a flying visit to Jerusalem and headed straight back to Europe after his early morning discussions with Netanyahu on Tuesday.

There was no immediate word of any breakthrough and a Palestinian official said Kerry might return to the region late on Wednesday to see Abbas.

A Palestinian official told Israel Hayom on Monday that Kerry’s trip to the region was meant to tie up all loose ends and prevent the peace process from falling apart.

Palestinian media reports on Monday showed just how fragile the current negotiations are. In light of the expected collapse of the peace talks, Palestinian terrorist leaders Ahmad Saadat and Marwan Barghouti, both serving prison sentences in Israel, called for a renewal of armed struggle against Israel.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader MK Isaac Herzog (Labor) met with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman on Monday.

The meeting focused on the current Israel-Palestinian peace talks and Abdullah expressed his hope that a resolution to the current crisis in the talks could be reached. „This a unique opportunity to reach an accord in the Middle East, and the right formulation must be found to prevent the negotiations from falling apart.”