U.S. rejects Netanyahu's request to allow Pollard to immigrate to Israel
Pollard was paroled on Nov. 20, 2015, after having served 30 years in prison for passing classified information to an ally.
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: NOVEMBER 21, 2018 22:56Jonathan and Esther Pollard(photo credit: Courtesy)
The United States Justice Department rejected an official request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard to serve out the remainder of his parole time in Israel, Channel 2 reported Wednesday, on the 33rd anniversary of Pollard's arrest.The report said Netanyahu had been working for months with the American Justice Department to try and ensure Pollard’s transfer to Israel, but the request was denied due to “the severity of Pollard’s crimes.” Pollard's poor health was also rejected as a reason for permitting him to move to Israel.Netanyahu's office responded to the report that he remains committed to bringing Pollard to Israel and would continue his efforts to that end.Pollard was paroled on Nov. 20, 2015, after having served 30 years in prison for passing classified information to an ally.As part of his parole conditions, Pollard remains under a 7 pm to 7 am curfew in his New York home, he cannot leave New York, and he wears a GPS monitoring system so his whearabouts will be known.In May 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected Pollard's appeal to ease his parole conditions.