Pollard: 'I crossed a line but the threats against Israel were serious'
Former US convict slams Washington, talks about new life in the Jewish state
Jonathan Pollard, the American who served 30 years for spying for Israel's benefit and is now residing in the Jewish state, defended his actions in an interview published Sunday by daily Israel Hayom.
In November 2020, the former spy had finished serving his sentence and was free to leave the United States.
"The United States stabbed Israel in the back while withholding information from its ally," he asserted.
"I know I crossed a line, but I had no choice," he said about his actions that led to his prolonged incarceration. The threats against Israel were "serious," he added.
In the interview, Pollard relayed his happiness at being a free man in Israel while expressing his regret that he was unable to have children because of his imprisonment.
He describes his new life in Israel as "wonderful" and that people often strike up conversations with him and his second wife, Esther, when they are walking around their neighborhood.
The former US Navy analyst was arrested in 1985 for spying for the benefit of the Jewish state.
The affair had sparked an acute crisis between the two countries in the midst of the Cold War, which was resolved after Israel's promise to end all its espionage activities on American soil.