United States (1954–present) Israel (1995–present)
Alma mater
Stanford University
Occupation(s)
Former intelligence analyst and spy for Israel
Criminal status
Released
Spouse(s)
Anne Henderson Pollard (divorced) Elaine Zeitz (aka Esther Pollard) (deceased)
Rivka Abrahams-Donin
(m. 2022)
Parent(s)
Morris Pollard (father) Molly Pollard (mother)
Conviction(s)
Conspiracy to deliver national defense information to a foreign government (18 U.S.C. § 794)
Criminal penalty
Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years
Jonathan Jay Pollard (born August 7, 1954) is an American former intelligence analyst who was jailed for spying for Israel.
In 1984, Pollard sold numerous closely guarded state secrets, including the National Security Agency's ten-volume manual on how the U.S. gathers its signal intelligence, and disclosed the names of thousands of people who had cooperated with U.S. intelligence agencies.[1] He was apprehended in 1985, and in subsequent proceedings agreed to a plea deal, pleaded guilty to spying for and providing top-secret classified information to Israel. Pollard admitted shopping his services—successfully, in some cases—to other countries.[2] In 1987, he was sentenced to life in prison for violations of the Espionage Act.
The Israeli government acknowledged a portion of its role in Pollard's espionage in 1987, and issued a formal apology to the U.S.,[3] but did not admit to paying him until 1998.[4] Over the course of his imprisonment, Israeli officials, US-Israeli activist groups and some US politicians continually lobbied for a reduction or commutation of his sentence.[5] In defense of his actions, Pollard said the American intelligence establishment collectively endangered Israel's security by withholding crucial information. Opposing any form of clemency were many active and retired U.S. officials, including Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, former CIA director George Tenet; several former U.S. Secretaries of Defense; a bi-partisan group of U.S. congressional leaders; and members of the U.S. intelligence community.[6][4][1][7] They maintained that the damage to U.S. national security due to Pollard's espionage was far more severe, wide-ranging, and enduring than publicly acknowledged. Though Pollard argued that he only supplied Israel with information critical to its security, opponents stated that he had no way of knowing what the Israelis had received through legitimate exchanges, and that much of the data he compromised had nothing to do with Israeli security. Pollard revealed aspects of the U.S. intelligence gathering process, its "sources and methods".[4] In 1995, while imprisoned, he was granted Israeli citizenship.[8]
Pollard was released on November 20, 2015, in accordance with federal guidelines in place at the time of his sentencing.[9] On November 20, 2020, his parole expired and all restrictions were removed.[10] On December 30, 2020, Pollard and his second wife moved to Israel and settled in Jerusalem.[11][12]
Since moving to Israel, Pollard has endorsed Itamar Ben-Gvir and voiced support for a population transfer to move Gaza's Arabs to Ireland.[13]
^ abHersh, Seymour (January 18, 1999). "The Traitor". The New Yorker. pp. 26–33. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
^Olive 2006, pp. 77–78.
^"Israel apologizes for Pollard spy plot". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press International. March 6, 1987. Retrieved April 22, 2014 – via Google News Archive.
^ abcBlack, Edwin (August 2, 2015). "Why Jonathan Pollard spent 30 years in prison". The Times of Israel. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
^Benhorin, Yitzhak (February 5, 2007). "How former CIA chief foiled Pollard's release". Ynet News. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
^Gass, Nick (July 27, 2015). "Donald Rumsfeld: U.S. shouldn't release spy Jonathan Pollard". Politico. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
^Best, Jr., Richard A.; Clyde Mark (January 31, 2001). "Jonathan Pollard: Background and Considerations for Presidential Clemency" (PDF). Congressional Research Service Report for Congress. The Library of Congress. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
^"Israel admits it spied on US". news.bbc.co.uk. May 12, 1998. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
^Ris, Jonathan (November 20, 2015). "After 30 Years, Jonathan Pollard Released From American Prison". Haaretz. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
^Barnes, Julian E. (November 20, 2020). "Jonathan Pollard, Convicted Spy, Completes Parole and May Move to Israel". The New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
^"Jonathan Pollard arrives in Israel, 35 years after his arrest for spying". The Times of Israel. December 30, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
^"Jonathan Pollard: Israel spy greeted by Netanyahu after flying to Tel Aviv". BBC News. December 30, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
^Fink, Rachel (February 25, 2024). "'Move Gaza's Arabs to Ireland': Former U.S. Jewish spy Pollard endorses Israel's far-right Ben-Gvir". Haaretz. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
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