He became an Israeli citizen in 1995 while in prison.
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Esther, who married Pollard while he was imprisoned, is his second wife.
Parole conditions vary widely for inmates, but rules for convicts released from a federal pen include agreements not to leave one’s home state, frequent meetings with parole officers and curfews, according to the Families Against Mandatory Minimums advocacy group.
The sole American ever given a life sentence for spying for an ally, Mr. Pollard was granted Israeli citizenship during his imprisonment.
The issue of Pollard’s espionage and subsequent USA refusal to commute his sentence has been a point of tension between Israel and the United States during the past three decades. “I wish Jonathan that this Shabbat will bring him happiness and quiet that will continue into his future”, Netanyahu said.
“The people of Israel welcome the release of Jonathan Pollard”, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons agreed to free Mr. Pollard in July, after a parole commission determined he should be released early from his sentence based on good behavior and that he was unlikely to commit new crimes if freed. Israeli lawmakers formed a parliamentary lobby that took up Pollard’s cause and in his multiple terms in office, Netanyahu had repeatedly tried to secure his release.
“American officials understand that he is out of jail; we can’t give more details”, said the spokesman, who asked that his name not be printed to avert private focus. “I’m relieved and I’m happy that our ordeal is finally coming to an end”. He expressed concern that the restriction could put Pollard’s job in jeopardy.
Last year, the United States dangled the prospect of freeing Pollard early as part of a package of incentives to keep Israel at the negotiating table during negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. “He should be fully released, not only literally released”. “It’s an unbelievable moment”. “We will be able to have a private, awesome conversation for the first time in 30 years”.
When Pollard came up for parole this summer, the Justice Department did not oppose his release, saying he was automatically eligible for “mandatory parole” after serving three decades.
“We rejoice in the happiness over the release of our brother Jonathan”, the place said.
Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard and his wife, Esther leave the federal courthouse in NY on Friday. But he is barred from leaving the United States for five years.
Hours later, as the sun rose over the prison near Raleigh, numerous cameraman still stood along the freeway outside the prison, unaware that the object of their stakeout was long gone and already starting his new life in NY. He soon began supplying a stream of intelligence, reportedly thousands of documents. Among them were documents related to Arab troops, the PLO and chemical and biological warfare programs conducted by Iraq, Libya and Syria. They also said such monitoring serves no goal since Pollard no longer has access to classified information. The Israeli government even paid for his attorneys and later granted him citizenship.
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“This is something that Prime Minister Netanyahu has regularly raised”, Rhodes said. Many in Israel view him as a hero. The negotiations collapsed, however, before that happened.
