Israel Cabinet Rejects Allegations That It Had Not Fully Cooperated in U.S. Probe of Pollard Case

The Cabinet rejected Sunday allegations that Israel had not cooperated fully in the United States investigation into the spy scandal involving Jonathan Pollard who pleaded guilty in Washington last week to supplying secret information to Israel.

The Cabinet statement, issued at the weekly session, also said that Israel is not engaged in any way in spying activities against the United States.

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Beilin said in response to reporters’ questions that there was a feeling of uneasiness among Cabinet Ministers that unidentified persons in the U.S. had deliberately leaked false reports to the media suggesting that Israel was not fully cooperating with the U.S. in the spy scandal investigation.

The official Cabinet statement which he read made it clear that Israel was suspicious of the motivations behind some of the disclosures and leaks to the media from the U.S. Justice Department. The Cabinet Statement said:

“The relations between the United States and Israel are very close, and it is inconceivable that attempts to disrupt these relations will succeed. In recent weeks we have witnessed a wave of unfounded pronouncements regarding alleged involvement of the government of Israel in arms deals and espionage activities. The government of Israel is concerned over these publications and hopes that they will not continue.”

Beilin said Israel had cooperated fully with the U.S. on the Pollard case and that no espionage was conducted on Israel’s behalf against the U.S.

At the Cabinet session, Minister of Commerce and Industry Ariel Sharon said that Israel went too far in uncovering its intelligence services when it supplied documents on the Pollard affair to Washington.

Meanwhile, Abraham Foxman, associate national director of the Anti-Defamation League, who arrived here Sunday for the ADL’s annual conference, said there were factions in the U.S. which tried to exploit the Pollard case to Israel’s disadvantage.

“It seems that there is a struggle going on between the State Department and the Justice Department,” Foxman told Voice of Israel Radio, “and the Justice Department is motivated by a case and making points, whereas the State Department, which I believe is guided by the White House, is interested in more long range concerns.”