Convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard appeared in Lower Manhattan this morning for a probation meeting just hours after his release from a North Carolina federal prison.
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The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Pollard was no longer in custody but provided no other details.
“The people of Israel welcome the release of Jonathan Pollard”, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement celebrating his release.
Anne Pollard, his ex-wife, told Army Radio in Israel that she has “been waiting for this day for 30 long years. It’s unbelievable. It’s an incredible moment”. He is the only person to have received a life sentence for spying on the USA for an ally. His lawyers, Eliot Lauer and Jacques Semmelman, have said they have arranged a residence and employment for him in the NY City area.
His release caps one of the most high-profile spy sagas in modern American history – a case that over the years sharply divided public opinion and became a diplomatic sticking point.
“The decision I made was based on fear and concern…those were emotions that got the better of me”, he said. After he began handling large amounts of intelligence having nothing to do with his assignments, he came under suspicion, and was confronted after taking classified material outside of the building.
The Pollard case has been a major bone of contention between Israel and the United States, with successive U.S. presidents starting with Ronald Reagan refusing Israeli demands for Pollard’s release.
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.
Edelstein praised the low-profile release and said that “if we don’t make waves” then “it’s possible that he will be able to fulfill his dream and come here, leaving behind all the suffering he endured”.
Pollard said in 1998 that he had “tried to serve two countries at the same time”. “That does not work”.
According to Jerusalem Post, the 61-year-old can not leave U.S. for another five years and he strictly can not be going to Israel for which he had requested.
Pollard has said he wants to immigrate to Israel where his second wife, Esther, lives, and where he can expect to receive substantial Israeli government back-pay.
The case of Pollard, 61, caused a fierce crisis in relations between the US and Israel and left both sides with scars that linger decades later.
The one-paragraph missive did not mention Pollard’s desire to immediately move to Israel, which would require a waiver of federal parole rules.
However, his lawyers argue that the conditions of his parole are not fair, as he is supposed to wear an ankle monitor and any corporation where he is employed will have their computers investigated along with his own with unfettered access by the government. During Bill Clinton’s presidency, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency threatened to resign when it emerged that Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu was asking Clinton to grant Pollard’s freedom as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. “The president has no plans to alter the forms of his parole”.
In July, the US indicated that it would not contest his release when Pollard became eligible for parole this month.
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Patrons said it was churlish to deny Mr. Pollard the opportunity to leave the state now that he’s completed his term.
