Pollard has said that he would like to move to Israel after his released; however, the American authorities have denied that request, as Pollard is required to stay in the United States for the five years that he is on parole.
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Last year, the USA 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.
His lawyers argue the Parole Commission has “imposed onerous and oppressive conditions of parole” including wearing an ankle monitor.
Pollard first wife, Anne, was convicted of helping him try to cover up his crime, and spent three years in prison.
According to a report in The NY Times, the documents were presented as part of a petition brought forth by Pollard’s lawyers seeking to cancel a few of the restrictions placed on him as part of the parole terms.
President Reuven Rivlin on Friday welcomed the news of Pollard’s release, commenting that it was Israel’s responsibility and obligation to secure his release. “We heard about Jonathan Pollard being released so we altered our schedule and slowed it down and changed it so we would be here”, Jackson said. “After three long and hard decades, Jonathan is finally reunited with his family”. The couple, originally from the US, moved to Israel in 2004, but were back in the states visiting when they learned that Friday was to be the day Pollard was paroled.
DiGenova said Pollard passed the Israelis thousands of documents that had nothing to do with Israel’s enemies, including technical information about USA information systems and satellites, photographs, maps and classified manuals. A few of the documents included Arab military and Soviet weapons intelligence, as well as information on American spycraft methods.
“While we still believe his sentence was disproportionate, we hope that after having paid his debt to society, he should now be able to rebuild his life together with his wife”, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said in a statement.
“He is a free man, but there are so many conditions that have been placed on his release that it hurts his freedom”, said Israeli parliamentarian Nachman Shai, head of the Knesset Caucus for the release of Jonathan Pollard.
Pollard will also not be allowed to travel overseas for at least five years despite efforts by Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to persuade Barack Obama that he should be allowed to travel to Israel.
Pollard needs the prior agreement of his probation office to leave the “district of release”, the Justice Department has said, although it has not defined the area. Supporters have long maintained that he was punished excessively for actions taken on behalf of an American ally while critics, including government officials, derided him as a traitor who sold out his country.
Pollard’s dramatic arrest by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in 1985 – after his plea for asylum was rebuffed at the gates of the Israeli Embassy in Washington – triggered a crisis between the two allies.
Asked whether Netanyahu had issued his ministers with instructions regarding public statements on Pollard, Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett told Army Radio on Thursday: “We were asked not to speak expansively”.
“I tried to serve two countries at the same time”.
There is speculation that the July announcement of Pollard’s release, just days after the West-Iran nuclear deal, was meant as consolation for Israel, which vehemently opposes the accord.
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Pollard appeared relaxed and pleased to be out of prison.
