US to free Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard

Pollard, 60, was serving a life term in a North Carolina prison after pleading guilty to spying for Israel from June 1984 until his arrest in November 1985.

Pollard’s lawyer confirmed in a statement that the spy will be released on November 20 or 21, adding that according to his parole conditions he won’t be allowed to leave the United States for five years.

Secretary of State John Kerry denied that the unanimous decision by the U.S. Parole Commission was in any way linked to the Iran nuclear agreement, which Netanyahu fiercely opposes.

He was arrested after the conclusion of an investigation into suspicions he was spying for Israel.

A number of Israeli officials rushed to express the hope that they would greet him on his arrival in Israel, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was cautious, stopping short of looking forward to Pollard’s arrival in a short statement he released after he spoke with Pollard’s wife, Esther.

The announcement of his parole comes at a time of acute tension between the United States and Israel over the recent nuclear agreement with Iran, which Tel Aviv has roundly criticized.

Third, the claims that Pollard inflicted severe harm to our national security by some former members of the intelligence community opposed to granting parole to Pollard are without merit.

“The president has no intention of altering the terms of Mr. Pollard’s parole”, Alistair Baskey, spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council, told reporters.

The U.S. says Pollard provided reams of sensitive and classified information to Israel, including about radar-jamming techniques and the electronic capabilities of nations hostile to Israel, including Saudi Arabia. At that time, the Obama administration considered the possibility of releasing Pollard early as part of a package of incentives to keep Israel at the negotiating table. The country granted Pollard citizenship in 1995 and has lobbied for his release for decades. But, as with most of the reporting on the Pollard case, the headlines are misleading. He was sentenced to life in prison. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments — either by the same reader or different readers.

Pollard’s prospective release has been unsuccessfully used as a chit in U.S.-Israel relations at least twice, according to Israeli and global reports.

But since news of Pollard’s possible release began to surface last week, White House officials have adamantly denied that diplomatic or political considerations played any role in a decision they said was reached independently by the parole board.

November. 21 marks 30 years since Pollard was first jailed and for years has been listed as his release date.

I based my case for releasing Pollard in previous years on three main reasons. His supporters have also said he should be released because of poor health, with his attorneys saying he suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. “We are grateful and delighted that our client will soon be released, ” they said. Pollard is suspected for leaking classified documents including weapons information to other countries as well, including (apartheid) South Africa, Argentina Taiwan, and possibly Pakistan .