Zionist Organization of America
News Release

ZOA Welcomes Release of
Jonathan Pollard

ZOA Urges Pres. Obama: Let Pollard Move To Israel

NEW YORK, November 20, 2015 -- The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)
today welcomed the release of Jonathan Pollard.

Mr. Pollard is the only American citizen sentenced to life in prison for
passing classified information to a US ally - in this case Israel. He has
been behind bars since his arrest in 1985. After finally giving him official
recognition as an agent, Israel granted him citizenship 20 years ago, on
November 22, 1995. Mr. Pollard will not be permitted to leave the United
States for as long as five years under federal parole rules, although he has
asked to immigrate to Israel, saying he would relinquish his U.S.
citizenship and agree never to return to the United States as a condition.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "We are delighted to learn that
Jonathan Pollard has been released from prison.

"Of course, his release is long overdue. A presidential decision to release
him should have been forthcoming under successive presidents many years ago.

"Jonathan Pollard is the only American citizen sentenced to life in prison
for passing classified information to a US ally -- in this case Israel.
There was, thus, no treason involved. No-one else, convicted on similar
charges, has served anything like that amount of time behind bars.

"Pollard pled guilty to the charges and rightly apologized for his crimes.
His crimes did not lead to the death of Americans, as was once claimed.
Rather, the espionage activities of Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen, whose
actions came to light only after the Pollard sentencing, were shown to be
responsible for those results.

"Despite, having pled guilty as part of a plea bargain, Pollard was shown no
leniency and was given the maximum sentence, comparable to that of Aldrich
Ames, the chief of CIA counterintelligence in Eastern Europe, who passed
critical defense secrets to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and was
found responsible for the deaths of at least 11 U.S. agents.

"It is, then, simply unarguable that Pollard's sentence was grotesquely
disproportionate. Nonetheless, we share in the delight of his wife, family,
friends and well-wishers in the news of his release. President Obama should
enable Mr. Pollard to fulfill his wish and move to Israel.

"Over the years, I have spoken with Jonathan Pollard literally dozens of
times. He is without doubt one of the most intelligent people I have ever
spoken to. He often told me that he has so much to give and that he doesn't
his legacy to be 'Jonathan Pollard -- spy.' He aways told me that Israel
should make no concessions to the Palestinian Authority in order to obtain
his release. I'd like it to be widely known that, in almost all our phone
conversation, Jonathan Pollard said very little about himself or the
challenges facing him during his three decades incarceration. Throughout,
one theme characterized his discussions with me: concern about Israel's
security and safety."

"May he be granted long life with his family."
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About the ZOA

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is the oldest and one of the
largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States. With offices around
the country and in Israel, the ZOA educates the public, elected officials,
the media, and college/high school students about the truth of the ongoing
Arab war against Israel. The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.- Israel relations
through educational activities, public affairs programs and our work on
Capitol Hill, and to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias in the media,
in textbooks, in schools and on college campuses. Under the leadership of
such presidents as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Rabbi Abba Hillel
Silver, and current President Morton A. Klein, the ZOA has been - and
continues to be - on the front lines of Jewish activism. www.zoa.org. For
more information contact Mort Klein 212-481-1500.