Israeli Spy Jonathan Pollard Freed From U.S. Prison

Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard was released on Friday after 30 years in a United States prison, receiving a muted response from Israel’s prime minister in a case that has strained relations between the two allies.

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) President Barack Obama will not intervene to allow Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard to travel to Israel after his scheduled parole from federal prison next week, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing Obama administration officials. “As someone who raised Jonathan’s case for years with successive American presidents, I had long hoped this day would come”, he said.

The 61-year-old Pollard, who was granted Israeli citizenship in 1995 while in prison, is expected to settle in the NY area while he spends at least the next five years on parole.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, Israeli officials are concerned that a celebration by the government over his release might hurt efforts to persuade the American government to allow him to leave to Israel.

Pollard was convicted of spying for Israel in 1987 while he was working as a U.S. Navy intelligence analyst for transferring loads classified U.S. documents to Israeli handlers.

He pleaded guilty in 1986 to conspiracy to commit espionage and was given a life sentence a year later, with the option of parole after 30 years. He can’t move to foreign countries including Israel where he is seen as a hero.

Last year, the US dangled the prospect of freeing Pollard early as part of a package of incentives to keep Israel at the negotiating table during talks with the Palestinians.

The decision to grant Pollard parole was regarded by some as an attempt by the US government to ease the rising tension in its ties with Israel, which has strongly criticized Washington for reaching a nuclear deal with Iran after two years of intense negotiations.

According to USA officials, Pollard provided intelligence summaries and classified documents on the capabilities and programs of Israel’s enemies over an 18-month period.

Jonathan Pollard was released from prison on Friday morning, but the Jonathan Pollard saga is far from over. He divorced her after she was released from prison and, in a secret prison ceremony in 1996, married his second wife, Esther, who moved to Israel and helped orchestrate the campaign for her husband’s release.

The secretary of defense at the time said he could not “conceive of a greater harm to national security” than Pollard’s actions.

“The fact of the matter is, we have deferred to the Department of Justice and the process of justice with respect to the Jonathan Pollard issue”, he said.

Though Pollard said he acted out of loyalty to Israel, it was disclosed during trial that Israel paid him about $50,000 – and even bought for him a diamond ring that he gave to the woman who became his first wife.

Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard and his wife, Esther leave the federal courthouse in NY on Friday.

The Justice Department hasn’t responded to the request, and it appears more likely that he will have to serve a five-year term of probation in the U.S. Israeli lawmakers formed a parliamentary lobby that took up Pollard’s cause and in his multiple terms in office, Netanyahu had repeatedly tried to secure his release. He said that Israel bartered the information to the Soviet Union in return for the release of Soviet Jews to Israel, compromising agents who quickly disappeared.