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The Timing / Conspiracy theories abound
| By Yossi Melman | |
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| Tags: Israel, Ben-Ami Kadish |
Last update - 11:13 24/04/2008
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Why now?
That's what everyone is asking after Tuesday's arrest and indictment of Ben-Ami Kadish. That's the key question, to which there is no clear answer and which is grist for the mill of rumours, guesses and theories, including conspiracy theories.
The explanations can be divided into two categories. The first can be called the rational-bureaucratic camp. The FBI, the CIA and the Department of Defense believed after the Pollard affair that Israel had another agent in the U.S., even more senior than Pollard, whose identity was never revealed.
This assessment was reinforced by details uncovered during Pollard's interrogation, according to which his handlers had given him very precise details - including catalogue numbers - about the documents he was to download from U.S. intelligence community computers. The investigators concluded that the second Israeli agent had the access and security clearance needed to provide Pollard with this information.
FBI agents' obsession to find this "super mole" motivated them to keep open the Pollard & Company file for a quarter of a century. It could also be that new information surfaced enabling them to get their hands on Kadish, even though he is at most a relatively low-level spy.
That's what everyone is asking after Tuesday's arrest and indictment of Ben-Ami Kadish. That's the key question, to which there is no clear answer and which is grist for the mill of rumours, guesses and theories, including conspiracy theories.
The explanations can be divided into two categories. The first can be called the rational-bureaucratic camp. The FBI, the CIA and the Department of Defense believed after the Pollard affair that Israel had another agent in the U.S., even more senior than Pollard, whose identity was never revealed.
This assessment was reinforced by details uncovered during Pollard's interrogation, according to which his handlers had given him very precise details - including catalogue numbers - about the documents he was to download from U.S. intelligence community computers. The investigators concluded that the second Israeli agent had the access and security clearance needed to provide Pollard with this information.
FBI agents' obsession to find this "super mole" motivated them to keep open the Pollard & Company file for a quarter of a century. It could also be that new information surfaced enabling them to get their hands on Kadish, even though he is at most a relatively low-level spy.
- Another possibility is that this information came from a phone conversation intercepted by the National Security Agency, as a result of which Kadish was monitored until the discovery of definitive, incriminating evidence - his call last month to his handler, Yossi Yagur. Federal prosecutors hinted as much in news briefings when they noted that the investigation began in 2004.
- According to the second, "conspiratorial" category, supporters believe that a hidden motive and not chance is behind the decision - 23 years after the fact - to investigate an 80-something man for crimes, some of which are beyond the statute of limitations. One possible motive, they suggest, is a desire to undermine President George Bush's planned visit to Israel next month.
- Another theory is the upcoming trial of two AIPAC officials, also for espionage; while the most important hypothesis being floated is that it is an attempt to prevent Bush's possible pardoning of Pollard before the end of his presidential term.
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1 comment:
If you can speak of making sense in the very murky world of Israeli espionage against its supposed ally America, I believe that this is about the intended pardoning of Pollard by Bush before exiting.
This issue is what brought down Bill Clinton. Yes the sex with Monica Lewinsky did happen but as an Mossad agent, she was aware before sex commenced before she first incited Bill. She was of Russian Jewish descent. Bill was the sucker and not Monica, if you'll pardon the pun. How naive of America to believe a young girl would share her sexual exploits with a much older female, who happened to record them, but just unbelievable is the notion that she retained in pristine condition she semen soaked dress.
Remember 'slam dunk' George Tenet and his claim
Ex-CIA director: I prevented move to release spy for Israel. ... Haaretz
"In his memoirs, Tenet says he told former U.S. president Bill Clinton during the 1998 Israel-Palestinian summit at the Wye Plantation that he would resign if Pollard were freed.
In his account of a meeting between himself and Clinton, he says that he remained "very calm and matter of fact," even though he had
issued an ultimatum to the president.
"It's just the wrong thing to do," Tenet says he told the president. If you do this, he said, "I won't be your CIA director in the morning."
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