Netanyahu to seek release of Israeli spy given life in US

Dec 22, 2010, 14:48 GMT

Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to formally seek the release of Jonathan Pollard, sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States as an Israeli spy, his office said Tuesday.

Netanyahu 'decided to accede to Jonathan Pollard's personal request and will, in the coming days, officially and publicly appeal to US President Barack Obama regarding Pollard's release,' a statement said.

The prime minister's move followed an emotional meeting on Monday with the spy's wife, Esther Pollard, who asked Netanyahu to seek her husband's release, pointing to his poor health.

She also handed over a letter in which Pollard had asked for Israeli to make a formal plea for his freedom.

Pollard, a former civilian intelligence officer with the US Navy, was convicted of spying for Israel and given a life sentence in 1987. Israel granted him citizenship in 1995.

Netanyahu has privately raised the issue of the Israeli agent before in meetings with Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in an effort to secure his release.

'I intend to continue acting with determination for Pollard's release, both because of the State of Israel's moral obligation to him and so that he might live with his family and restore himself to health after his prolonged incarceration,' Netanyahu's statement said.