Convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard has been granted parole and will be released from prison in November after serving 30 years of a life sentence.
Pollard's lawyers said Tuesday that the three-member U.S. Parole Commission unanimously decided to release Pollard on November 21.
Convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard granted parole, will be released from U.S. jail: https://t.co/N76J1gxnrw pic.twitter.com/84XDxb7sla
— CNN International (@cnni) July 29, 2015
"The decision to grant parole was made unanimously by the three members of the (U.S.) Parole Commission, who make their decisions independently of any other U.S. government agency," his lawyers said, according to AFP.
Pollard's lawyers, however, said that he won't be allowed to leave the U.S. for five years according to his parole conditions.
"I am looking forward to being reunited with my beloved wife Esther," Pollard reacted after commission's announcement, according to Jerusalem Post.
"I would like to thank the many thousands of well-wishers in the United States, in Israel, and throughout the world, who provided grass roots support by attending rallies, sending letters, making phone calls to elected officials, and saying prayers for my welfare. I am deeply appreciative of every gesture, large or small," he said through his lawyers.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement on Tuesday, said that he is looking forward to his release. "Throughout his time in prison, I consistently raised the issue of his release in my meetings and conversations with the leadership of successive U.S. administrations," he said according to CNN.
Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. convicted spy for Israel, will be released on parole after imprisoned for 30 years. https://t.co/wVCSM2Sv0e — New York Times World (@nytimesworld) July 28, 2015
Relations between Israel and the U.S. have been tense in the past few weeks over the Iran Nuclear Deal, but, the White House maintained that the decision to grant Pollard parole has no connection to any efforts to calm tensions between two nations, HNGN reported previously.
Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, was convicted of passing classified information to Israel. He has been jailed since 1987 serving a life sentence in a North Carolina prison.
