26 Nov 2020; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to offer the best medical care to Esther Pollard, the wife of the Jewish spy who was paroled after 30 years in US prisons, Jonathan Pollard, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.
Israeli Ynet News disclosed that Pollard's wife is undergoing medical treatment in New York for cancer, pointing out that Netanyahu promised first-class medical care for her.
"Jonathan and Esther plan to come to Israel, but they cannot do so immediately due to Esther's chemotherapy treatments," Pollard's lawyer Eliot Lauer told Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
"During Prime Minister Netanyahu's administrations, there was a tremendous effort on the part of the Israeli government. We probably would take the credit, but I think the good lord wanted Jonathan to finally come home."
According to a press release, Netanyahu: "Had a warm and moving conversation with Jonathan Pollard and his wife Esther, after the restrictions on Jonathan were lifted and not extended."
He told Pollard: "We're waiting for you. You should really feel at home. You should now have a comfortable life where both of you can pursue your interests and we can take care of Esther in the best medical treatment in the world."
Pollard thanked Netanyahu for standing by his word of several years ago, when Netanyahu promised he would bring him to Israel.
Speaking to Pollard's wife Esther, Netanyahu expressed: "We are waiting for you, even during the coronavirus, with open arms. You will receive from us the genuine embrace of the people of Israel. I want to congratulate you both that this nightmare is over and you will be able to return home to Israel."
Concerning Pollard, Ynet News wrote: "Pollard, a civilian intelligence analyst for the US Navy, sold military secrets to Israel while working at the Pentagon in the 1980s. He was arrested in 1985 after trying unsuccessfully to gain asylum at the Israeli embassy in Washington and pleaded guilty."
The Israeli news website revealed that: "The espionage affair embarrassed Israel and tarnished its relations with the US for years."
It continued: "Pollard was given a life sentence and US defence and intelligence officials consistently argued against releasing Pollard. But after serving 30 years in federal prison, he was released on 20 November, 2015, and placed on a five-year parole period that ended last week."
