Editing Jonathan Pollard (section)

==Israeli efforts to secure Pollard's release==
In 1988, Israel proposed a three-way exchange, wherein Pollard and his wife would be released and deported to Israel, Israel would release Soviet spy [[Marcus Klingberg]], and the USSR would exercise its influence with [[Syria]] and [[Iran]] to release American hostages held there by Syrian- and Iranian-sponsored terrorist groups.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Jack |author1-link=Jack Anderson (columnist) |title=Pollards, hostages part of spy swap with US, Israel |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19881201&id=peArAAAAIBAJ&pg=5849,3299758 |access-date=August 3, 2015 |work=[[Kentucky New Era]] |agency=[[United Feature Syndicate]] |via=[[Google News Archive]] |date=December 1, 1988}}</ref>

In 1990, Israel reportedly considered offering to release [[Yosef Amit]], an Israeli military intelligence officer serving a 12-year sentence for spying for the United States and another [[NATO]] power, in exchange for Pollard. Sources conflict on the outcome: according to one, Amit made it known that he had no wish to be exchanged.<ref>Kahana, Ephraim: ''Historical dictionary of Israeli intelligence''</ref> By another account, Israeli officials vetoed the idea, fearing that it would only cause more anger in the United States. (Amit served his sentence and was released in 1993.)<ref name="levey">{{Cite magazine|last=Levey|first=Gregory|author-link=Gregory Levey|date=May 9, 2007|title=Spy Games|magazine=[[The New Republic]]|url=http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/spy-games}}</ref>

During the 1990s former [[University of Notre Dame]] president [[Theodore Hesburgh]], a family friend of Pollard's, attempted to broker a deal whereby Pollard would be released, "be banished to Israel", and would [[renunciation of United States citizenship|renounce his U.S. citizenship]].<ref name="WaPo19980705">{{cite news|url=https://articles.washingtonpost.com/1998-07-05/national/37171274_1_jonathan-pollard-esther-pollard-federal-prison/9 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130617220200/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/1998-07-05/national/37171274_1_jonathan-pollard-esther-pollard-federal-prison/9 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 17, 2013 |first=Peter |last=Perl |title=The spy who's been left in the cold |work=The Washington Post Magazine |date=July 5, 1998 |access-date=June 13, 2013 }}</ref> [[Mike Royko]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' wrote columns in February 1994 endorsing the idea.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Royko |first1=Mike |author1-link=Mike Royko |title=Giving aid, comfort to Pollard fan club |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IRAmAAAAIBAJ&pg=6889,306902 |access-date=June 13, 2013 |work=[[The Gettysburg Times]] |via=[[Google News Archive]] |date=February 4, 1994}}</ref> White House officials expressed little enthusiasm for Hesburgh's plan, and he ceased further efforts.<ref name="WaPo19980705" />

During 1995, Israel again attempted to arrange a three-way exchange, this time involving American spies imprisoned in Russia: Israel would release Klingberg, the Russians would release U.S. agents who had remained in prison since the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], and the United States would then free Pollard.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/04/world/israel-lifts-secrecy-veil-from-spy-convictions.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|work=The New York Times|first=Clyde|last=Haberman|title=Israel Lifts Secrecy Veil From Spy Convictions|date=May 4, 1995}}</ref>

Israel's official stance until 1998 was that Pollard worked for an unauthorized rogue organization. During May of that year, Premier Netanyahu admitted that Pollard had in fact been an Israeli agent, answering directly to high-ranking officials of [[Lekem]], the Israeli Bureau for Scientific Relations. The Israeli government paid at least two of the attorneys—Richard A. Hibey and Hamilton Philip Fox III—working for his release.<ref name="Black" />

During campaigning leading up to the [[1999 Israeli general election]], Netanyahu and his challenger [[Ehud Barak]] disputed in the media over which had been more supportive of Pollard. In 2002, Netanyahu visited Pollard in prison.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=DSNB&d_place=DSNB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F37F1E2A9E8B589&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=NewsLibrary.com |work=newsbank.com|access-date=August 3, 2015}}</ref> In 2007 he pledged that, if re-elected Premier, he would obtain Pollard's release.<ref name="jpost2007">{{Cite web|url=http://fr.jpost.com/Tags/satellite|title=Satellite News and latest stories|website=fr.jpost.com}}</ref>

In September 2009, Israeli State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss released a report stating that repeated petitions for Pollard's release during a 20-year period had been rebuffed by the American government.<ref>Izenberg, Dan, "State Comptroller: Every Gov't Since '96 Tried To Free Pollard, But US Wouldn't Yield", ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'', September 4, 2009, p. 2</ref> The Pollard family criticized the report, terming it a "whitewash" of the Israeli government's activities, although they agreed with its assertion that Pollard had been denied due legal process.<ref>"Lawyer lambasts Pollard report", ''The Jerusalem Post'', September 3, 2009</ref>

In June 2011, 70 members of the Israeli parliament, the [[Knesset]], endorsed the Pollard family's request that President Obama allow Pollard to visit his ailing father, Morris. When Morris died soon afterward, Netanyahu announced Israel's official endorsement for Pollard's request to attend his father's funeral.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-to-urge-obama-to-grant-pollard-leave-for-father-s-funeral-1.368501|title=Israel to urge Obama to grant Pollard leave for father's funeral|author=Barak Ravid|date=June 19, 2011|work=Haaretz.com|access-date=August 3, 2015}}</ref> Both requests were denied.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shmais.com/component/zoo/item/israelis-decry-us-refusal-to-let-spy-see-dying-father|publisher=AFP|title=Israelis decry US refusal to let spy see dying father|date=June 19, 2011|access-date=June 20, 2011|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924101414/http://www.shmais.com/component/zoo/item/israelis-decry-us-refusal-to-let-spy-see-dying-father|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In November 2014, [[Rafi Eitan]], who directed Lekem from 1981 until its dissolution in 1986, admitted that he knew in advance of Pollard's impending arrest in 1985 and alerted then-Premier [[Shimon Peres]] and Defense Minister [[Yitzhak Rabin]]. Eitan says it was his decision to refuse Pollard's request for asylum in the Israeli Embassy. When asked if Israeli officials were aware of Pollard's espionage activities, he replied, "Of course".<ref>Mitch Gisnburg, (November 30, 2014). [http://www.timesofisrael.com/peres-and-rabin-knew-pollard-was-planted-in-us-armed-forces/ "Peres, Rabin knew Pollard was planted in US armed forces, handler says"]. ''The Times of Israel''.</ref>

===Citizenship===
Pollard applied for Israeli citizenship in 1995; the [[Ministry of Interior (Israel)|Ministry of Interior]] initially refused on grounds that Israel did not grant citizenship to persons who had not yet immigrated, but reversed its decision and granted the petition on November 22, 1995.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/22/world/israel-grants-citizenship-to-american-spy.html|title=Israel Grants Citizenship to American Spy|work=The New York Times|date=November 22, 1995|access-date=June 13, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/11/22/israel-to-grant-citizenship-to-convicted-spy-pollard/|first=Gary|last=Borg|title=Israel To Grant Citizenship To Convicted Spy Pollard|work=Chicago Tribune|date=November 22, 1995|access-date=June 13, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1995/11/22/israel-changes-position-will-grant-spy-citizenship/|title=Israel Changes Position, Will Grant Spy Citizenship|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=November 22, 1995|access-date=June 13, 2013}}</ref>

Some sources claim that Pollard then renounced his United States citizenship, was now solely an Israeli citizen, and would be deported to Israel if he were released from prison.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=20688383|title=Video Review: The Case of Jonathan Pollard|journal=Journal of Film and Video|volume=54|issue=2/3|pages=98–100|year=2002|last1=Levin|first1=Melinda}}</ref> Others continue to identify him as a U.S. citizen.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/14/world/meast/israel-obama-iran|first=Chelsea J.|last=Carter|work=CNN|date=March 14, 2013|access-date=March 20, 2013|title=Obama: Iran more than a year away from developing nuclear weapon}}</ref> According to the [[United States Department of State]], there are no peacetime regulations in effect under {{USCSub|8|1481|a|6}} to empower the [[Attorney General of the United States|attorney general]] to process renunciations of citizenship from persons physically present in the United States, and by {{USC|8|1483}}, it is not possible for a person to lose U.S. citizenship while physically present in the United States except by renunciation filed with the Attorney General, or conviction of treason.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://fam.state.gov/FAM/07FAM/07FAM1210.html|chapter=7. Loss and restoration of United States citizenship|title=Foreign Affairs Manual|publisher=Department of State|location=United States|date=February 22, 2013|access-date=December 13, 2015|title-link=Foreign Affairs Manual}}</ref>

On December 30, 2020, Jonathan Pollard and his wife officially immigrated to Israel and became full Israeli citizens.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jonathan Pollard arrives in Israel, 35 years after his arrest for spying|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/jonathan-pollard-arrives-in-israel-35-years-after-his-imprisonment-for-spying/|access-date=December 31, 2020|website=The Times of Israel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Axelrod|first=Tal|date=December 30, 2020|title=Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard welcomed in Israel|url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/middle-east-north-africa/532063-convicted-us-spy-jonathan-pollard-welcomed-in|access-date=December 31, 2020|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|language=en}}</ref>