Gilad Shalit joins call for Peres to help release PollardPetition urges president to reject US medal
Gilad Shalit joins call for Peres to help release PollardPetition urges president to reject US medal until imprisoned spy is freedGilad Shalit signed a petition calling upon President Shimon Peres not to accept the US Medal of Freedom until Jonathan Pollard is released from prison, Thursday afternoon.Shalit was released from captivity in Gaza in October, in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, after being held by Hamas for more than five years. He and his parents joined almost 30,000 other Israelis who signed the petition, including former justice minister Amnon Rubinstein.The President’s Bureau said in response that they are working hand in hand with the Pollard advocates to maximize the efforts to release him, Maariv reported. The bureau added that senior members of the president’s staff met with the lobby leaders last week for that purpose and that Peres promised to raise the release of Pollard with Obama when the two meet in July for the medal ceremony.Pollard, born in Texas, worked as a civilian intelligence analyst for the US Navy. In 1987 he was convicted of selling Israel classified information and he is still serving a life sentence.Earlier Thursday morning members of the Knesset, led by Uri Ariel who heads the pro-Pollard lobby, celebrated a symbolic Passover seder in front of the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem. Their seder featured an empty seat symbolizing Pollard’s absence.MK Uri Orbach said Israel’s friendship with the US could not be considered complete so long as Pollard was still in jail. “We hope that Pollard will be free next Passover, celebrating the holiday of freedom as a free man,” he said.During his speech at the AIPAC conference in early March, US President Barack Obama announced he would present Peres with the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the US.via: thetimesofisrael -- source link