We Want Pollard Home

The Hebrew banner says, “We want [Jonathan] Pollard at home.” And I think the elements of the photo perfectly capture his story: He’s currently serving a life sentence in a US prison after pleading guilty to one charge of spying for Israel as a US Citizen. Israel has since given him citizenship.

His is a controversial story, and one that produces a certain level of tension between the two governments. Israel continues to ask for his release and the US continues to say no.

Many believe that he has gotten a raw deal since the judge went against the guidelines of the plea bargain, and no one else has ever received more than about 14 years for spying for an ally. Furthermore, he contends that the information he passed to Israel was information Israel was legally entitled to, but were for some reason being denied access.

Pollard has been in prison since 1987, and some wonder if he won’t be the wrench in the wheel of the peace process because on a number of occasions his case has been linked to Israel’s willingness to negotiate. We’ll have to wait and see how that develops.