Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes lifting of US parole restrictions on convicted spy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday welcomed the lifting of parole restrictions on Jonathan Pollard, the former US Navy analyst convicted of spying for Israel in the 1980s, and said he expects him to come to Israel soon.

In a statement issued on Saturday evening, Netanyahu said he had worked for Pollard’s release for many years. He did not provide a firm date when Pollard might arrive.

“The prime minister expects to see Jonathan Pollard in Israel soon and, together with all Israelis, extends his best wishes to him and his wife Esther,” Netanyahu’s office said.

The US Justice Department announced on Friday that Pollard had completed his parole, freeing him to move to Israel. Advocates have said that has long been Pollard’s wish.

Pollard, a civilian intelligence analyst for the US Navy, sold military secrets to Israel while working at the Pentagon in the 1980s. He was arrested in 1985 after trying unsuccessfully to gain asylum at the Israeli Embassy in Washington and pleaded guilty. The espionage affair embarrassed Israel and tarnished its relations with the United States for years.

Pollard was given a life sentence, and US defence and intelligence officials consistently argued against releasing Pollard. But after serving 30 years in federal prison, he was released on November 20, 2015, and placed on parole.

At the time, Pollard’s lawyers said he would be required to remain in the United States for five years, though they called on then-President Barack Obama to grant him clemency and permit him to move to Israel immediately. But the White House quickly shot down that prospect, saying Pollard had committed “very serious crimes.”