Pollard is no hero, says US judge who advised on affair

An American judge who advised Washington on damage caused by convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard said Monday that Pollard’s actions were not heroic and had negative repercussions for US Jews, many of whom have petitioned for his release.

The comments by Abraham Sofaer came on the heels of reports that the US may be preparing to release US-Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, with some claiming this is aimed to smooth over relations in the wake of the nuclear deal with Iran.

Sofaer told Israel’s Army Radio that he thought Pollard should be released, though he added that the status he has gained as a cause celebre in Jewish and Israeli circles was undeserved.

“First of all he was not the hero that everybody portrays him to be, but a person who sold secrets to Israel for money and would have sold secrets to other states as well,” Sofaer said. “He violated his oath and created a terrible situation for American Jews, who then obviously [were] all the more suspected.”

Sofaer visited Israel for the State Department to gauge the extent of Israel’s spying on the US, after Pollard, a US Navy analyst, was caught and convicted of spying for Israel in 1987.

On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Pollard could be released in the coming weeks or months as the Obama administration seeks to calm Israeli and Jewish unhappiness over the deal with Iran. Pollard is eligible for parole on November 21 after serving 30 years in prison.

The judge said poor counsel and the irresponsible reaction of the Israeli government to the Pollard affair contributed to his long prison sentence.

“I think that the amount of time Pollard had to spend in prison is more the consequence of very bad advice he received from supporters,” he said.

Echoing a statement made by US Attorney General Loretta Lynch Sunday, Sofaer assured Israelis that Pollard’s possible release was unrelated to US foreign policy considerations.

Sara Miller contributed to this report.