The Spy and the Dilemma

Jonathan Pollard’s long ordeal, which began with his arrest on November 21, 1985, has come to an end. This is the first Chanukah in 35 years that he can celebrate as a free man.

But now a difficult dilemma confronts the State of Israel. When Pollard comes to Israel, shall he be welcomed as a hero and martyr, such as being greeted at the airport by government officials, or should he be welcomed as any newcomer is welcomed — though with an acknowledgment, and perhaps a seudas hoda’ah by close friends, that his unfair ordeal is finally over?

His case is not simply the story of one man’s mistake and subsequent punishment. Rather, it has become a symbol of the convoluted relationship between America and Israel.

There is no question that Pollard’s long sentence was overly harsh, cruel, and unjust. Other Americans who had sold military secrets to actual adversaries like Russia were given much lighter sentences than Pollard, who had, after all, given classified material to a friendly power. Yes, he had stolen secrets, had broken the law, and deserved to be punished. But even impartial observers agreed that his life sentence — after the judge broke the plea-bargain agreement — was clearly grossly disproportionate and brutal.