4:weiwAttia
Make Boycott Issue
Part Of Peace Talks
A little seen or known news article in the major
dailies chronicled the Arab League's recent neg-
ative language countering earlier indications that
it would consider rescinding its economic boycott
of Israel.
The Arab League's secretary-general, Esmat
Abdel-Meguid, told U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron
Brown that the league promised to consider re-
scinding its so-called boycott. Last week, how-
ever, the league's assistant secretary general
Adnan Omran told Reuters news agency that the
language of reconciliation was premature.
Enough of this.
Since Sept. 13, Israel seems to be doing the
most and gaining the least. It was bold enough,
some think foolish enough, to work for peace. Yet
Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, continue to
be targets of Palestinian terror. Arab prisoners
have been handed over. Israel has solicited the
world to help the Palestinians set up their own
economy. Palestinian politicians have been in-
vited to the Knesset where they have the chutz-
pah to make even more demands.
What else must Israel do to see this foolish boy-
cott overturned? Israel has the technology and
economy to be a major regional help to the na-
tions that are boycotting it.
Mr. Brown's reaction to the recent snubbing
was what he described as "disbelief." What's to
disbelieve? The entire peace process has been an
overwhelming one-way street, something that's
making even the most adamant peace proponent
wary.
Let us suggest something the Arabs must un-
derstand: Unless this boycott is ended, there can
be no real Middle East peace. Yes, there are wars
to be fought that don't involve bullets and artillery.
This is one of them.
We suggest that issues related to the boycott
be tied into the Palestinian peace process. Mr.
Omran said the league would not bar companies
that wanted to do business in areas designated
for Palestinian autonomy. He also said he didn't
want to see Palestinians "exploited" in any way.
Mr. Omran, who is doing the exploiting? It's
time to get down to bottom-line peace if that's
what the Palestinians and the Arab nations re-
ally want. It seems as if the Israelis are making
all of the moves that are positive and forward. For
many Arab leaders, holding on to the past seems
to be the justification for their leadership.
We say: Enough! If it's peace you want, here's
an opportunity for it. Hies not what is wanted,
lees stop wasting the energy of the world on it.
This boycott should be part of the Israeli-Pales-
tinian peace process. Without it as part of the
process, war is still being waged.
Letters
T HE DE TRO IT J EW IS H NE WS
Proposal Would
Refute Revisionists
4
In recent issues you have car-
ried articles about alleged Nazi
war criminals such as John
Demjanjuk. You have also car-
ried articles about those who
deny the Holocaust.
It has been nearly 50 years
since the war. The remaining
survivors are dying off. I'd like
to propose a solution to both of
the aforementioned problems,
simultaneously.
I suggest the State of Israel
formally announce an amnesty
program for remaining Nazis:
In exchange for full, detailed
videotaped confessions, they
would be given amnesty at this
time.
I propose that the records
produced will be far more valu-
able as a permanent, inar-
guable record of the Holocaust
than trying to incarcerate a few
more octogenarians for a cou-
ple of years.
The confessions by the per-
petrators would serve as per-
manent testaments and utterly
refute any attempt at revision-
ism. These testaments can be-
come part of the record at
Holocaust centers around the
world.
Dr. A. Robert Spitzer
West Bloomfield
Jonathan Pollard
Victim Of Plot
The enigma of Jonathan Pol-
lard:
The bottom line is Pollard
blew the whistle on the Penta-
gon. The Pentagon was secret,-
Jonathan Pollard
ly setting up Israel to lose the
next war. That's why the sec-
retary of defense said to hang
him. Information Pollard dis-
closed was already known to
many countries — but not Is-
rael.
Pollard was charged with
only one count of violating the
Espionage Act — if he had done
more, he would have been so
charged. This violation, under
our system of justice, would call
for a jail sentence of two to four
Letters
years — not life. His severe sen-
tence shows just how afraid the
Pentagon is.
I believe the Pentagon or-
chestrated the denial of a jury
trial for Jonathan Pollard be-
cause they were fearful that
their illegal acts would be ex-
posed. They declared many
things classified more to hide
what they were doing than to
protect the United States.
A congressional investigation
is needed if we are going to have
a better America.
Read The Spy Who Knew
Too Much by Elliot Goldenberg.
Dr. Sidney Leitson
West Bloomfield
Jonathan Pollard
Was No Victim
James D. Besser made an hon-
est effort to write a balanced ar-
ticle on the Pollard matter (Feb.
4). But it was a mistake to
frame the issue as a rift be-
tween those who view Jonathan
Jay Pollard as a hero and those
who view him as a convicted
criminal who was unfairly sen-
tenced.
Because Pollard was cun-
ning, manipulative, and com-
pletely guilty dismisses both
views. Jonathan Jay Pollard is
a saboteur who chose his course
of treason long before his or-
chestrated fear for the survival
of the Jewish state. (His theft
of classified information in-
cluded information on China for
his wife's business purposes).
A spoiled ingrate, at odds
with himself, Pollard devised a
way to maintain his American
life while painting a false men-
tal self-portrait of a Zionist pi-
oneer. That Pollard may
actually have believed himself
to be a Zionist hero indicates
that mental illness, not Zion-
ism or Judaism, is the mitigat-
ing factor to his motives (not to
mention the financial motive
his defenders try in vain to an-
nul). Unfortunately, Pollard's
clear lack of remorse tries the
patience of even the justifiable
compassion for his sick mental
state.
To his credit, Mr. Besser ac-
knowledged those who have de-
bunked the myths propagated
by Pollard's defenders, espe-
cially the invalid claim that the
sentence was inordinate to the
crime and that he will have no
chance for parole. Pollard is, in-
deed, up for parole in two more
years, and if he sheds his pho-
ny victim status he may well be
paroled. Moreover, the court
record also belies the myth that
the U.S. attorney reneged on
any deal in exchange for Pol-
lard's guilty plea.
No doubt, Mr. Besser's side-
piece on Pollard's father, Dr.
Morris Pollard, was moving.
Any parent of an imprisoned in
even of one who be-
longs in jail, deserves our
sympathy. But Dr. Pollard's
pain was inflicted not by the
U.S. attorney, the Pentagon, or
even the vindictive Caspar
Weinberger. Dr. Pollard's pain
is the work of his own son and
to a lesser degree his former
daughter-in-law.
We can certainly feel for the
Pollards. But in the spirit of
Zionism and respect for Ju-
daism (more compelling forces
to most readers of this paper),
we should denounce any effort
to paint Jonathan Jay Pollard
as either hero or victim. His
plight is not analogous to the
Dreyfus Affair or any other
anti-Semitic trial.
Even more outrageous are
Pollard's own comparisons of
himself to Israeli soldiers cur-
rently held hostage in Lebanon,
of himself to victims of the Holo-
caust, and of his Jewish prose-
cutor in U.S. District Court to
kapos.
Such comments reveal Pol-
lard as a criminal without re-
morse or respect. Also
disgusting are the efforts by
Pollard's defenders to make
him a symbol of our commit-
ment to Israel.
John O'Neill
Allen Park
Letters Policy
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signature of the writer.
Brief letters (less than a
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day, will be given preference.