Israel Welcomes Release of Spy from US Prison

“They own it. President Obama owns his release”.

Pollard said in 1998 that he had “tried to serve two countries at the same time”.

Netanyahu, who said he pushed for Pollard’s release before multiple USA presidents, added that he waited a long time for his release.

Critics, including top United States government officials, labelled Pollard a traitor. The supporters include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Friday applauded Pollard’s freedom.

Over the years, flurries of reports had claimed Pollard’s parole was near, sometimes as part of a deal to advance the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, as was the case as recently as the last round of talks, which collapsed 18 months ago. She and her husband, Yaron Jackson, were parked outside of the Federal Prison in Butner, hoping for a glimpse of Pollard upon his release.

The White House previously has said that President Obama did not have any plans to alter the terms of parole for Pollard.

Within hours of his release, Pollard’s lawyers filed court papers in NY City challenging the “onerous and oppressive” conditions.

He and his wife, Anne Henderson, were arrested in 1985 after Pollard passed “suitcases” of classified documents to Israeli intelligence in exchange for $10,000 and jewels, Haaretz reported.

Now 61, Pollard has spent half of his life in prison.

The lawyers wrote that the conditions were illegal, because they violate a federal statute, federal regulations, and the constitution, which strictly constrain the imposition of conditions on parolees.

Lauer would not identify the firm but said it had hired Pollard before the computer monitoring requirement was imposed.

According to Pollard’s lawyers, he will be required to wear an electronic bracelet so his movements can be monitored at all times.

Those working on Pollard’s behalf contest the parole arrangement, pointing out that there is nearly zero risk the former spy will pass on additional classified information.

Pollard’s supporters – including a few U.S. lawmakers – want him to be allowed to move to Israel immediately. “It’s a political decision, and with him, it’s been about politics all along”. Now that he’s out of prison, it’s more likely that Pollard will retreat into oblivion, a relic of an era with very little connection to the present.

He was sentenced to life in jail and is being released on parole after 30 years behind bars. President Clinton rejected Netanyahu’s request.

Netanyahu has instructed ministers and MKs to remain low-key about the release, apparently to not anger Obama.

Jonathan Pollard was released from prison on Friday morning, but the Jonathan Pollard saga is far from over.

Israeli officials have reportedly been instructed to keep a low profile with regards to the release, as Pollard’s case has been a source of tension between Israel and the United States, its closest ally.

He told investigators he was asked to obtain USA information on Arab nuclear programs and “Arab exotic weaponry”, a since declassified Central Intelligence Agency document said. He suffers from severe diabetes and chronic leg and ankle swelling. But he’ll be on a short leash as he rebuilds his life as a free man. “He is now under the supervision of the US Probation Office”, it said in a statement.

His release ends an extraordinary espionage case that’s been an irritant in United States’ relations with Israel for three decades.

Perception of Pollard, who was granted Israeli citizenship in 1995, has evolved there over the years, with rightwing activists seeking to turn him into an icon.