Convicted US spy Pollard greeted by Netanyahu as he arrives in Israel
Decision to allow former Israeli asset to leave US seen by some as a parting gift to Netanyahu by Trump administration
There was no immediate indication as to whether Pollard, a former navy intelligence analyst, had been exempted from coronavirus restrictions (Israeli Prime Minister s Office) By Published date: 30 December 2020 08:43 UTC | Last update: 2 months 3 weeks ago
Jonathan Pollard, an American jailed in the United States in 1985 for spying for Israel, landed in Israel on Wednesday, where he was received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pollard, 66, served 30 years in prison for giving away classified US documents, and had been confined by parole terms to the US since his release in 2015, despite Israeli pressure to allow him to leave.
Pollard kisses the ground after he lands in Israel pic.twitter.com/hGCMuUtcTk
“Now you can start life anew, with freedom and happiness. Now you are home,” the prime minister said.
Pollard responded: “We are ecstatic to be home at last. There is no one who is more proud of this country or its leader than we are. We hope to become productive citizens as soon as possible.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) greets convicted US spy Jonathan Pollard and his wife Esther at Ben Gurion Airport, December 30, 2020 (Courtesy)
The Pollards flew in a private jet from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to accommodate Esther’s health issues, the Israel Hayom daily reported. She has been battling cancer.
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The exhibition was created by a 12th grade student at the school to mark Human Rights Day, which was officially observed on December 10. The student went to one of the regular protests in front of the Prime Minister’s Residence and took pictures of the demonstration as an example of freedom of expression.
“At the Herzliya Gymnasia, they have an exhibition showing a man stomping on a picture of Netanyahu as Hitler and flying Palestinian Liberation Organization flags as heroes,” Eliasi wrote in his Facebook post, in which he called the school’s principal “an extreme left-wing, dangerous man who is brainwashing the students with pure hatred for the right-wing.”
Mahmoud Abbas Fast Facts
Personal
Education: Damascus University, B.A.; Oriental College (in Moscow), Ph.D.
Other Facts
His family left the British Mandate area Safed, Palestine, to live in Syria as refugees in 1948.
Abbas laid floor tiles and taught elementary school before earning a law degree.
Played an integral role in the forging of the Declaration of Principles, the historic Oslo Accords signed in 1993 by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel.
Was the primary force behind the Palestine National Council’s decision to work with Israeli peace groups.
He is also known as Abu Mazen. (Abu is a slang term to describe the head of a family or father of children.)