Israels Ambassador to D.C. undermines credibility - repeats decades old lie about Pollard operation in WTOP interview

Dr. Aaron Lerner
IMRA
21 June '10

Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA

(Update: Netanyahu: Pollard acted as Israel agent
By GIL HOFFMAN The Jerusalem Post 06/22/2010 22:01
www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=179209

Michael Oren claims Pollard didn't act as Israeli agent.

Jonathan Pollard acted as an agent of the State of Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday, in reaction to a comment from Israeli ambassador to Washington Michael Oren that was interpreted as suggesting otherwise.

Pollard is in the 25th year of a life sentence for passing classified information to an ally. While Israeli governments initially made a point of distancing themselves from Pollard, in Netanyahu's first term, the government formally recognized him as an Israeli agent in May 1998.

Oren appeared to backtrack from this in an interview with Washington radio station WTOP that was interpreted by American and Israeli media as suggesting that Pollard was merely part of a rogue operation.

"Jonathan Pollard occurred in the mid-1980's" Oren told the station. "Now, we're talking about an event that was run by a rogue organization in the Israeli intelligence community. That was, what, 25 years ago?"

Following reports about Oren's interview on Army Radio, both Netanyahu and Oren issued clarifications. "Pollard worked as an agent of the State of Israel, and no one is trying to deny this" Netanyahu said in closed conversations.)

In a stunning move, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren told the Washington radio station WTOP, that the spy operation involving Jonathan Pollard was "rogue organization in the Israeli intelligence community" - a variant of the very same lie (that it was a "rogue" operation) that infuriated America 25 years ago when Israel first made it. A lie that has long ago been dropped as Israel officially acknowledged that Pollard was an Israeli agent.

The move by Oren - allowing himself to be caught on a lie - with the bizarre situation that he said it when clearly he should be aware that his audience knows he isnot telling the truth - undermines the credibility of Israel's point man in Washington.

To make matters worse, Oren made the remark within the context of assuring that Israel is not spying on America today.

How can Ambassador Oren do damage control? He can issue an apology and correction, explaining that the correction is in the wake of a briefing he has just received - thus explaining his previous claim as reflecting a lack of information on his part rather than any intention to deceive.

Israeli spy in U.S. part of 'rogue operation'
June 21, 2010 - 9:14am

Jonathan Pollard, once thought to have been an Israeli spy, may have been part of a rogue operation. (AP) J.J. Green, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Twenty-five years after his arrest, the truth about for whom Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard was working is still in doubt.

The former civilian intelligence analyst, sentenced to life in prison on charges of spying on the U.S. in 1987, was allegedly not working for official Israeli intelligence, as previously thought.

(Read full article)

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