Officials: Trump 'seriously considering' letting Pollard move to Israel
Pollard was paroled from prison in November 2015, after serving 30 years of a life sentence for spying for an ally. Former spy says "I just want to go home.'
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: APRIL 30, 2018 16:09Main points of Intelligence and Transportation Minister Israel Katz's speech at the 7th Annual Jpost Conference in NY, April 29, 2018 (JBS TV)
US President Donald Trump is “seriously considering” changing the parole conditions of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard to allow him to come to Israel, Israeli officials said at The Jerusalem Post Conference in New York on Sunday.Pollard was paroled from prison in November 2015 after serving 30 years of a life sentence for spying for Israel, America’s ally. But his parole conditions prevent him from leaving New York State and moving to, or even visiting Israel.In a recent conversation with a visitor to New York, Pollard revealed that he and his wife, Esther, were suffering from poor health and had dealt with significant medical challenges over the past year.Asked if he had hope that the Trump administration would commute his sentence and allow him to go to Israel, Pollard told the visitor he met on the street: “I am praying for a miracle. I just want to come home.”Intelligence Services Minister Israel Katz said allowing Pollard to come to Israel would be another welcome gesture by the Trump administration when the US Embassy moves to Jerusalem.“In order to make the celebration even happier, I would like to ask our great friend President Trump to give the Israeli public one more present and to allow Jonathan Pollard to come to Israel and celebrate with us in Jerusalem,” Katz said.Asked on the sidelines of the conference whether the Trump administration would accept his request, Katz told reporters there was such a possibility.Zionist Union MK Nachman Shai, who heads the Knesset’s Free Pollard Caucus, said he hoped the reports were not “too good to be true. It is time to end the episode,” he said.