Campaign to free Pollard finally breaks out of rightist camp

[Englander]

By Nadav Shragai

Jonathan Pollard has been imprisoned for 7,304 days. Today, for the first time since he was incarcerated over 20 years ago for spying for Israel, a local government authority is seeking to express what it sees as the broad public support here for "Pollard's contribution to the State of Israel."

In accordance with a directive by Education Minister Limor Livnat, all schools will spend one hour tomorrow learning about Pollard's case. Teachers will recall the events leading to his imprisonment in the United States, and they have been instructed to discuss the obligations of Israel toward him with their students.

Previously, Israel had officially avoided any expression of identification with Pollard, an American naval intelligence officer who decided to pass on to Israel information about the production of weapons of mass destruction in Arab countries, after he realized that his superiors were prevented from doing so.

For years, local public activities on behalf of Pollard have been nearly the sole province of the national-religious camp. Asher Mivtzari, a former resident of Kfar Darom in the Gaza Strip, recruited rabbis from the movement to the cause. They brought in sympathetic politicians, who then pressured Livnat into taking action

Haaretz