Jonathan Pollard – the movie

It is possible that federal authorities will tell Mr. Pollard he can’t leave the U.S. for a period of years after he is released. Pollard’s lawyer dismissed the notion that he had “transitioned” from American to Israeli during his three decades of incarceration. Good morning. At the same, Pollard’s lead attorney is hopeful that an exception will be made in his case and Pollard may be allowed to stay outside the U.S.

Jonathan Pollard, a former Naval intelligence analyst convicted of spying for Israel and passing along a trove of classified documents, has been granted parole and will be released from prison in November after almost 30 years, his lawyers said Tuesday. He eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 1987 to life in prison.

It made him a cause celebre for many Israelis, but US officials have adamantly opposed clemency until now, contending that the damage he did was far more severe than publicly acknowledged. Pollard’s former boss, retired admiral Thomas Brooks, in an interview flayed Pollard for leaking the methods deployed by the U.S in collecting information from the Soviet Union.

“Pollard was not an Israeli spy, he was an American traitor”.

His supporters maintain that he provided information critical to Israel’s security interests at a time when the country was under threat from its Middle East neighbors.

This same Israeli short-sightedness and insensitivity was in evidence recently when Israeli leaders were quick to call on French and Danish Jews to move to Israel following the terrorist attacks on Jewish community centres in their respective countries. And so reaction here is bittersweet. Israel honoured him with the “Prisoner of Zion” tag and accorded citizenship in 1995 and was lobbying for his release ever since. The deputy foreign minister says this fixes a historic injustice. The idea of an early release was swiftly withdrawn-as it has been on other occasions since, despite considerable pressure from the Israeli government. So she said the U.S. showed no generosity or kindheartedness on the issue.

ESTRIN: Well, according to the White House and Secretary of State John Kerry, they say there’s absolutely no connection.

Had Pollard’s parole been denied, he would have been required to serve an additional fifteen years in prison. By law, the government could object to his release on two grounds only, his behavior while in prison and whether he would resume his criminal activity if he were released. But the U.S. Parole Commission’s rulesrequire a parolee to remain within the United States, that too in a particular area and report regularly to a parole officer. Will he go to Israel?

It is unclear whether the conditions of Pollard’s parole will restrict him from traveling overseas. “I think the parole commission will work out what kind of travel terms are permitted”, Eliot Lauer tells TIME.

And Israeli officials have said while they would welcome Pollard’s release, it would not ease their opposition to the Iran agreement. He has an ex-wife and a current wife, both in Israel.

“I am looking forward to being reunited with my beloved wife Esther”, Pollard said through his attorneys.

“He had very little to say besides thanking God and everyone who supported him”, Lauer added.