When Jonathan Pollard was released from prison in 2015 after serving 30 years of his life sentence for transmitting classified information to Israel, his parole commission imposed strict parole guidelines for a period of five years.
As part of those restrictions, Pollard was not allowed to leave his home between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., was monitored by a GPS device and was not permitted to leave the US.
But since Friday, he will be allowed to leave the U.S. and move to Israel where he wants to live.
He plans to move to Israel as soon as his wife’s health allows it, his lawyer said, after the US Justice Department terminated his parole.
“Mr. Pollard is no longer subject to a curfew, is no longer prohibited from working for a company that does not have US government monitoring software on its computer systems, is no longer required to wear a wrist monitor that tracks his whereabouts, and is free to travel anywhere, including Israel, for temporary or permanent residence, as he wishes,” the statement said.
“Jonathan and Esther plan to come to Israel, but they cannot do so immediately, due to Esther’s chemotherapy treatments,” Pollard’s lawyer Eliot Lauer said.
A such, Pollard “is free to travel anywhere, including Israel, for temporary or permanent residence, as he wishes,” said attorneys Eliot Lauer and Jacques Semmelman.
Pollard expressed “appreciation and gratitude” to Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, for his help in bringing about the end to his parole.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday welcomed the termination of Jonathan Pollard’s parole and said he looked forward to welcoming him.
“The prime minister was committed to his release for many years and worked tirelessly for his return,” read a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
The 66-year-old Pollard was granted Israeli citizenship in 1995 and has repeatedly expressed his desire to settle in the Jewish state with his family.