Loading ...Video: Why is Obama freeing Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard now?
Earlier this week, the Obama administration decided not to oppose the release on parole of Jonathan Pollard, an American arrested in 1985 and sentenced to life in prison for spying for Israel.
He will go free in November.
Pollard’s release, long demanded by Israel, has been staunchly opposed, almost unanimously, by the US political-military establishment.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both rejected repeated Israeli appeals for clemency.
So why is Obama allowing him to go free now? Is it to appease Israel’s anger over the Iran nuclear deal?
Why is Pollard being treated so much more leniently than the Holy Land Five, Palestinian Americans sentenced to 65-year terms for raising humanitarian funds to help people in their homeland?
I spoke to The Real News about some of the background to the Pollard case and the politics around the decision to let him go now.
Watch the video above and read my earlier post on the topic.
Ali Abunimah
The Electronic Intifada
