Former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to forget him in his upcoming talks with US President Donald Trump, Israeli media reported Sunday night. Pollard told his close friends over the weekend, “It’s just as important as making sure Trump honor his word to move the embassy to Jerusalem.”
A US court last week discussed Pollard’s appeal to ease the restrictive conditions imposed on him when he was released from prison after 30 years behind bars. According to the terms of his release, Pollard is forbidden to leave his home in New York after 7 PM or before 7 AM; he must turn over his computer for inspections; and he must wear a surveillance device that forces him to desecrate Shabbat.
Pollard’s attorney, Eliot Lauer has said he had reason to believe that his client’s appeal stood a chance to succeed and expressed the hope that it would. The court has no authority to order the restrictions changed, but it may recommend to the parole board to ease or to completely remove them.
Under US law, the president can commute Pollard’s sentence and grant him a pardon, or allow him to move to Israel report regularly to the US Embassy there, or to the Israeli Justice Ministry.
Presumably, commuting Pollard’s parole would be a nice consolation prize from President Trump, improving his popularity with rightwing Jews everywhere after his failure to honor his commitment to moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.