WASHINGTON
A convicted Israeli spy who Israel has strongly lobbied to be released from a U.S. prison will be paroled in November.
Jonathan Pollard, a former naval intelligence officer, was arrested by the FBI in 1985 while trying to gain asylum at the Israeli embassy in Washington with his wife. Pollard, 60, was convicted of spying for Israel and was sentenced to life in prison in 1987.
The decision to release Pollard was made by a three-member parole panel, according to a statement released by his lawyers. The Justice Department has agreed not to contest the decision, the lawyers added.
"We are grateful and delighted that our client will soon be released," said Eliot Lauer and Jacques Semmelman, Pollard's lawyers.
The Justice Department said in a statement that it has consistently held that Pollard should fulfill the terms of his sentence.
“The Department of Justice has always maintained that Jonathan Pollard should serve his full sentence for the serious crimes he committed, which in this case is a 30-year sentence, as mandated by statute, ending Nov. 21, 2015,” spokesman Marc Raimondi said in a statement.
Pollard is scheduled to be released 30 years to the day after his arrest.
A Justice Department official who spoke on background said that under the laws in place when Pollard was sentenced, and which currently apply to his case, “a person with a life sentence is presumptively eligible for mandatory parole after 30 years” unless a panel determines otherwise.
Israeli officials have long sought Pollard’s release, saying that he did not hurt Washington’s national security by passing classified information along to Israel.
Speaking to reporters after testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Secretary of State John Kerry denied that his release was in any way tied to the recently brokered Iran deal, which Israel has strongly objected to.
“I haven't even had a conversation about it. No, not at all,” Kerry said when asked if the two issues were linked, according to reports.
