Arutz7 Dismays Pollard
Justice4JP Release - August 5, 2005

Jonathan Pollard was astonished and dismayed by a report in Arutz7 (5 August
2005, ISRAEL SOUGHT EMERGENCY LEAVE FOR POLLARD).

Arutz7 contacted the Israeli Foreign Ministry and accepted a spokesperson's
claim that "a process" was on-going to secure a furlough for Jonathan
Pollard, but "unfortunately, Pollard's mother-in-law died in the meantime."
Nothing could be further from the truth.

If Arutz7 had had the decency to contact Jonathan Pollard's representatives
for a reaction before publishing this disingenuous claim, Arutz7 would have
understood that the Foreign Ministry was deceiving them.

As the chronology below shows, the only "process" undertaken by the Foreign
Ministry was stalling for time and doing nothing.

Moreover, if Arutz7 had afforded Jonathan Pollard the simple courtesy of
contacting Esther Pollard, she would have pointed out that Foreign Minister
Silvan Shalom met with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on July 22nd
and failed to take the opportunity to make this urgent to request to her.
This was, in fact, the only appropriate level for the request to be made, if
a positive response was to be gained.

Here is the chronology of events:

- 12 July 2005: an urgent request is made by Jonathan Pollard to Foreign
Minister Silvan Shalom for his help in seeking a furlough to enable Pollard
to visit his dying mother-in-law.

- 13 July 2005: Pollard receives confirmation that both FM Shalom and PM
Sharon have received his request. He is told that instructions have been
given to the Washington Embassy to act upon it.

- 13 July to 15 July 2005: No action whatsoever is taken by the Embassy.
This is confirmed by a phone call from the Embassy to the Consulate on July
15th.

- 15 July 2005 (AFTERNOON): Too late to do anything in Washington, the
Embassy finally contacts the Consulate in Atlanta and asks the Consulate to
find out from the Pollards what steps they have taken before the Embassy
takes any action of their own.

- 16 July and 17 July 2005: No action is taken by the Embassy.

- 18 July 2005 (Approx. 11:00 AM): Jonathan Pollard personally calls the
Consulate to inform the Foreign Ministry that his mother-in-law has passed
away.

- 18 July 2005: Notice of funeral is sent by J4JP to the Consulate, which in
turn forwards the message to Foreign Ministry.

- 18 July 2005: In his AM phone call to the Consulate, Pollard pleads for
stepped-up efforts to secure a furlough so that he can attend his
mother-in-law's funeral.

Pollard pleads to at very least be permitted to be present in Montreal for
the Shiva.

Pollard's urgent requests are forwarded to the Foreign Minister by the
Consulate.

In the days and weeks to come, Pollard never receives any response from any
Israeli official to these pleas.

- 22 July 2005: Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom meets with US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice and fails to take the opportunity to make the request
for a furlough for Pollard.

- 22 July to 2 August 2005 : COMPLETE SILENCE.

No contact with the Pollards whatsoever is made by the Foreign Ministry or
the Consulate.

Not a single Israeli official even expresses condolences.

- 2 August 2005: Foreign Ministry announces to media that it is NOW, at this
time, seeking a furlough to enable Jonathan Pollard to visit his dying
mother in law.

- 2 August to 4 August 2005: Justice4JP responds vigorously, pointing out
the absurdity of the Foreign Ministry's claim to be working on a furlough
for Pollard to say good-bye to his mother-in-law, who they KNEW had died two
weeks earlier.

J4JP provides the facts to all of the media - including Arutz7 - in a series
of releases and news items which include:

Shalom is Expoiting My Tragedy: Maariv
Israel: We're Helping Pollard Visit 'Sick Mother-in-Law'
Israel Tramples On the Grave of Pollard's Mother-in-Law
Jonathan Pollard's Letter to Silvan Shalom
Shalom Ignores Gut-wrenching Appeal For Compassionate Leave

5 August 2005: Jonathan Pollard is astounded to read Arutz's report ISRAEL
SOUGHT EMERGENCY LEAVE FOR POLLARD which repeats the deceptive claims of a
foreign ministry spokesperson (without giving Pollard the courtesy of a
response) and essentially provides a fig leaf for the Foreign Ministry's
exploitation of the Pollards' tragedy.

Esther and Jonathan ask that Arutz7 correct this deeply hurtful report by
printing this release in its entirety and calling readers attention to the
truth.

The Pollards also request that readers please recirculate and reprint this
message widely.

With thanks on behalf of the Pollards.

Justice4JP