Word: pollarding
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Then came Iranscam and the revelation that two Israeli businessmen, joined by an Israeli antiterrorist adviser attached to the Prime Minister's office, may have instigated -- and certainly cooperated in -- the sale of U.S. weapons to the militant Islamic regime in Tehran. The renewed furor over the Pollard affair thus not only dragged Israel's most shocking security misfire back into the spotlight but dredged up the whole sorry security mess. The Pollard case, says founding MOSSAD Chief Isser Harel, ranks as "the worst-bungled affair in Israel's history...
What went wrong? For one thing, Israel began conducting some of its intelligence operations outside established channels and out of sight of civilian political scrutiny. Pollard, for example, was "run," at least ostensibly, by a little-known scientific liaison office, called Lakam, in the Defense Ministry. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Harel called the unit, since disbanded, a "bastard in the intelligence community." Harel also contended that in the past, MOSSAD avoided using Jews of other nationalities as spies, for fear of compromising their communities abroad. "Should we create a situation in which people in the U.S. consider...
When the case first broke in late 1985, the U.S. was not yet aware of the seriousness of the espionage, and accepted Israeli promises of assistance in settling the affair. The Justice Department wanted to proceed with the trial of Pollard and the indictment of his Israeli contacts, but the State Department argued that American relations with Israel should receive primary consideration. Secretary of State George Shultz spoke of Israeli "cooperation" on the case, and State Department Legal Adviser Abraham Sofaer headed a delegation that was sent to Israel to collect the documents Pollard had stolen. According to court records...
Gradually the Administration's anger increased as it realized the gravity of the security breach and the difficulty of ascertaining exactly what had happened. Moreover, though Jerusalem still insisted that Pollard had been part of a "rogue" spy team, Washington began to suspect that those who had worked with him were actually being rewarded. Eitan, who had headed the Pollard operation, was appointed board chairman of Israel Chemicals, a large government-owned company. Two weeks ago Colonel Sella was named commander of one of Israel's most important air bases...
Israel's Foreign Minister Peres is undoubtedly right in his judgment that the "body of relations" between the U.S. and Israel is strong and can withstand the shock of the Pollard affair. But the case raises troubling questions about the proprieties of espionage between allies. Says the Justice Department's Martin: "Even as friendly as you are, there are times when national interests are different. It is up to policymakers to decide who gets what. We can't have individuals secretly providing information to any friend...