On December 30, Jonathan Pollard arrived in Israel. Pollard was arrested in 1985, for knowingly passing classified information to Israeli agents while working for U.S. naval intelligence. Although he was sentenced to life in prison, Pollard was released on parole in 2015, on condition that he remain in the U.S. That condition, and other terms of parole, were lifted in November 2020, bringing to the end a painful episode for American Jewry. Abraham Ben-Zvi writes
There is no doubt that the U.S. government treated Pollard with exceptional severity and harshness. . . . One cannot, [however], minimize the severity of Pollard’s actions, which led to the breach of trust in the close relationship between Israel and the United States. However, the Americans clearly wanted to make an example of Pollard, an example no one will ever forget, and therefore treated him with disproportionate revenge. Other American spies, like Steven Lalas, for instance, also revealed sensitive information to U.S. allies but received much lighter sentences.
When Pollard was exposed as a spy, American Jews were plunged into . . . crisis, as anyone who had the slightest connection to Israel was suddenly treated with suspicion and was suspected of disloyalty. Even though Pollard’s actions might have been motivated by a genuine concern for Israel’s security, he nevertheless accepted money for revealing classified information. Israel must ensure that even the tiniest traces of the Pollard affair will not repeat themselves.
This is especially important at this time, as Pollard’s aliyah coincides with the arrival of a new Democratic president at the White House, who spoke out harshly against Pollard in the past. Any ostentatious move on Israel’s part with regards to this sensitive subject—including making Pollard a political player in the election campaign—could rekindle the long-term source of friction between the two allies.
Read more on Israel Hayom: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/as-pollard-saga-ends-lessons-must-be-internalized/