After 30 years in prison, a government panel has granted Jonathan Pollard parole as of November 21st.
Pollard, 60, was a U.S. intelligence analyst, and was sentenced to life in prison in 1985 after pleading guilty to passing classified documents to the Israeli government. He is the only American to receive a life sentence for giving confidential information to a United States ally or to receive such a harsh sentence for any other comparable crime.
His release puts the end to an ongoing source of disagreement between America and Israel for many years – and comes at a time of disagreement surrounding an American-brokered agreement with Iran.
Jonathan Pollard issued a statement thanking his supporters – and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying, “We are looking forward to his release.” While Pollard had originally been scheduled for mandatory release from his North Carolina prison in November, officials in the United States government were concerned about a continuing threat to national security.
As his lawyers maintained that he poses no threat to the United States, the U.S. Parole Commission granted Pollard parole and he will be released on November 21, 2015. After his release he will be required to remain in the U.S. for five years with no foreign travel. Only President Barack Obama has the power to allow Pollard to move to Israel before those five years.
While White House officials claim no connection between Pollard’s parole and the recently-announced nuclear accord with Iran, many disagree, including this columnist who noted only a few days ago that “Freeing Jonathan Pollard will not Make Israel Forget Iranian Nukes.”
Ronn Torossian is an entrepreneur and author.
