As we reported last week, Jonathan Pollard is to be released on parole in November. His release date was set for November 21, but since that is a Shabbat, he will be released a day earlier on Friday, November 20.
In a sad twist, however, it appears that he will be unable to come to Israel in the near future. Under the terms of his parole, he will have to remain in the US for 5 years, according to an official from the White House.
Though his lawyers have pleaded with President Obama to allow Pollard to relocate to Israel, it appears at the moment that this will not be the case. MK Michael Oren, who was previously Israeli Ambassador to the US, is also campaigning for Pollard to be allowed to come to Israel.
His wife, Esther Pollard, “can hardly wait” for her husband’s release. “I’m counting the days, the hours, the minutes, the seconds until I can take him into my arms and we can close the door on the past behind us, to begin to heal and to rebuild our lives.”
Watch Esther speak to the press:
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