Pollard is no hero, says US judge

The Jewish American judge dispatched to Israel by the US government over the Jonathan Pollard affair says the convicted spy is “no hero,” and that he had received “bad advice” that led to his prolonged incarceration.

“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,” Abraham Sofaer tells Army Radio. “He [pleaded] guilty, he should have stood by that plea instead of claiming to have the right to lie to his own country and steal secrets, and after that Israel should have taken responsibility for his conduct immediately, instead of encouraging excuses as they did.”

Pollard’s actions were a betrayal of his country and caused problems for American Jews, he says.

“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. He violated his oath and created a terrible situation for American Jews who then obviously [were] all the more suspected.”