Source: Pollard to be barred from Internet on parole
Caucus head Shai: It's ain't over "til it's over."
By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMANUpdated: NOVEMBER 18, 2015 22:11Jonathan Pollard(photo credit: Courtesy)
Among other limitations, Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard will be prevented from using the Internet following his expected release from prison on Friday, a source familiar with the conditions of his parole told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.Those conditions, which have not been released to the press, are also expected to bar him from leaving the United States for five years. The official campaign to bring about Pollard’s release and his lawyer Eliot Lauer declined to respond to the report about the Internet ban.“We are not commenting on anything until after the release, but we will have a detailed statement after the release on Friday and happy to talk then,” Lauer said.Pollard will have served 30 years of a life sentence for passing classified information to an ally as of Saturday.He will be released Friday, not because he keeps the Sabbath, but because prisoners are not released on weekends.The head of the pro-Pollard caucus in the Knesset, Zionist Union MK Nachman Shai, said Wednesday that he would continue the caucus’s efforts even after Pollard leaves the Butner, North Carolina, prison where he was incarcerated. He vowed that his caucus would continue to fight for Pollard until he is allowed to come to Israel.“It ain’t over till it’s over,” Shai said, quoting legendary baseball manager the late Yogi Berra.“We are happy that the US is letting him out one day early, but if they are releasing him, they should really set him free. He is being left chained in a limited release. They are harming his civil rights by limiting his movement and communication. That doesn’t sound like parole to me.”Shai said he is concerned about Pollard’s economic well-being and that the Prime Minister’s Office should support him.He said he has not seen a bill proposed by Likud MK David Amsalem that would require Israel to fund Pollard after his release but that he opposes personal legislation.
“Israel is obligated to support him,” Shai said. “We don’t have funding for prisoners like the Palestinian Authority does. But I hope the Prime Minister’s Office does the right thing.”The heads of the official Free Pollard campaign released a statement Wednesday asking the public not to take any public steps that could interfere with his release. But they said those concerned about him could send letters of encouragement to letters4pollard@gmail.com.The letters, which can include pictures of pro-Pollard activity around the world, will be printed out for him so he could see them.“You can directly send a hug that will help him and his wife Esther deal with the challenges ahead that will not be simple,” a campaign spokesman said. “Send anything that is in your heart. Tell him about your prayers and your efforts over the years.”
