c. 1996 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ President Clinton’s decision to again deny clemency to convicted spy Jonathan Pollard surprised and angered American Jewish leaders Friday (July 26), who were meeting with Clinton even as spokesman Mike McCurry was announcing the decision to reporters elsewhere on the White House grounds.

Clinton never mentioned his decision to the Jewish leaders _ despite the fact that the case of the former civilian Naval intelligence officer is close to the hearts of many in the Jewish community. Pollard is serving a life sentence for providing U.S. military secrets to Israel.”He should have told us,”said a tight-lipped Malcolm Hoenlein, executive director of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and one of three dozen Jewish leaders who met with Clinton at the Old Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House.”I’m very disappointed by this,”added Tommy Baer, president of B’nai B’rith International.”The timing is very strange.” Pollard pleaded guilty in 1986 to spying for Israel and received a life sentence, of which he has served almost ten years. Pollard _ who has since beem granted Israeli citizenship _ has not applied for parole, even though he is eligible.

His case has become a cause celebre within much of the American Jewish community and Israel because, despite Pollard’s admission that he broke U.S. laws, the information he passed to Israel concerned details about missile shipments to Syria, Iraqi chemical warfare capabilities and other classified information about Arab states hostile to Israel.

American intelligence officials had withheld the information from Israel, despite the close ties between Washington and Jerusalem.

Jewish leaders who have lobbied for Pollard’s release have done so on”humanitarian”grounds, insisting that he has already spent enough time in jail, given that he spied for a”friendly”nation.

McCurry announced the president’s decision during his regular afternoon briefing for reporters in the White House press room. McCurry said Clinton had denied the request because of the”enormity of Mr. Pollard’s offenses, his lack of remorse, the damage done to our national security, the need for general deterrence and the continuing threat to national security”posed by Pollard.

McCurry said Clinton had acted in accordance with the recommendation of Attorney General Janet Reno.

President George Bush denied a request by Pollard for clemency in January 1993. Clinton previously turned down a Pollard clemency bid in March 1994.

In response to a question, McCurry said the announcement had nothing to do with Clinton’s meeting with the Jewish leaders _ although he added that the president was likely to inform them of his decision as a matter of courtesy.

However, Clinton did not do so, leaving the clearly surprised Jewish leaders to find out about the decision from reporters seeking their reaction. Clinton also did not respond to a reporter’s question about his decision that was shouted at him as he spoke with the Jewish leaders crowded around him.

At that point, Clinton turned and left the conference room in the Old Executive Office Building, where his 30-minute session with Jewish leaders had taken place.

During his closed-door meeting with the the Jewish leaders, Hoenlein said Clinton spoke about Washington’s need to maintain close ties with Israel, international terrorism and his belief that new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would continue the Middle East peace process.

Although former Israeli Prime Ministers Yizhak Rabin and Shimon Peres are known to have raised the Pollard issue with the White House, McCurry said he was not aware that Netanyahu had brought it up during his recent visit to Washington.

MJP END RIFKIN