Spy loses appeal in US

[Ederico]

[Source: Guardian.co.uk]

Spy loses appeal in US

Dan Glaister in Los Angeles
Saturday July 23, 2005
The Guardian

A former US naval intelligence analyst who was imprisoned after being convicted of spying for Israel lost an appeal against his life sentence yesterday. Jonathan Pollard was arrested in 1985 on charges that he had sold classified information to Israel.

His case, which has contributed to tensions between the US and Israel, has been taken up by Jewish groups in the US, and the Israeli government has lobbied the White House to release him.

Two months ago, on a trip to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, the first lady, Laura Bush, was met by protesters demanding Pollard's release. This week, protests are being held outside US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice's hotel in Jerusalem. In a ruling handed down in a federal appeals court in Washington yesterday, a three-judge panel dismissed Pollard's appeal that he had received ineffective counsel. The court upheld a previous ruling dismissing his appeal. It said Pollard had waited too long to contest his 1987 sentence.

The court also dismissed a request for access to documents in his sentencing file, including a declaration by Caspar Weinberger, at the time defence secretary in Ronald Reagan's administration. Pollard's lawyers argued the papers would assist any appeal to President Bush for clemency. The court ruled it was not within its jurisdiction to review claims for access.

Pollard was arrested outside the gates of the Israeli embassy in Washington, where he had unsuccessfully sought sanctuary after going on the run. He was charged with handing classified information to Israel, including information on Soviet-built weapons possessed by its Arab neighbours. His former wife, Anne, received a five-year sentence for assisting him.

Israel initially denied Pollard had been one of its spies but has since apologised to the US.

[Dr. Solar Wolff]

Of course it didn't help matters when Israel sold the roomfull of microfilm information Pollard stole on US weapons to China. He should have gotten what the Rosenbergs got.