Jonathan Pollard in Prison

Jonathan J. Pollard is a former United States Navy intelligence analyst who was convicted in 1985 of spying for Israel. Mr. Pollard, an American, is serving a life term in a North Carolina prison.
Israel, a close ally of the United States, and supporters of Mr. Pollard have repeatedly tried to gain his release. Mr. Pollard’s supporters argue that his life sentence was disproportionate, that the information he passed to Israel can no longer harm American national security and that his health is failing.

Mr. Pollard, who worked for the Navy as a civilian intelligence analyst, began spying for Israel after he approached an Israeli officer in the spring of 1984. He was arrested 18 months later after giving Israel tens of thousands of top-secret documents. He claimed he was trying to protect the Jewish state from its enemies.