Convicted US spy Jonathan Pollard welcomed to Israel by Netanyahu

Former US Navy analyst served 30 years in prison for spying for Israel, causing deep strain between the two close allies for years

Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, who spent 30 years in US prison for spying for Israel, touches elbows with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on arrival in Tel Aviv. HO

Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, who spent 30 years in US prison for spying for Israel, meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on arrival in Tel Aviv. HO

Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, who spent 30 years in US prison for spying for Israel, has landed in the country with his wife. AP, file

Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, who spent 30 years in US prison for spying for Israel, has landed in the country with his wife. Reuters, file

Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, who spent 30 years in US prison for spying for Israel, has landed in the country with his wife. Reuters, file

After three decades imprisoned in the US for spying for Israel, Jonathan Pollard landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning where he kissed the tarmac and declared he was ready to start a new life.

"We are ecstatic to be home at last," said Pollard, who was greeted with his wife, Esther, by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A former US Navy analyst, Pollard, 66, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage.

“No one could be prouder of this country or this leader than we are, and we hope to become productive citizens as soon and as quickly as possible and to get on with our lives here,” he said.

Pollard was granted Israeli citizenship in 1995 and Mr Netanyahu handed him an ID card at the airport, telling the former spy: “You’re home.”

Pictures published after the couple’s arrival show Pollard peering into the cockpit of the private plane and sitting alongside his wife, both wearing face masks, as a flight plan behind them showed them nearing Israel.

Mr Netanyahu’s office would not confirm reports that the journey was funded by American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, a key backer of the Israeli prime minister and US President Donald Trump.

Pollard’s arrival was kept secret for security reasons, a spokesman for the family said, while the flight was timed to fit in with his wife’s cancer treatment.

With Israel in a third nationwide lockdown to tackle coronavirus, the couple were taken to a temporary residence where they will quarantine for about 10 days.

Both Orthodox Jews, they are expected to live in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported.

The Pollards’ arrival was welcomed by Israelis across the political spectrum, with President Reuven Rivlin tweeting: "Welcome home to Jonathan and Esther Pollard."

Public Security Minister Amir Ohana said “there are not many issues on which there is such broad agreement” among legislators.

Pollard was able to emigrate after the US Justice Department announced last month it would not renew the five-year travel ban he has been under since his release in 2015.

The decision was perceived by some as a gift to Israel by the outgoing Trump administration.

Before his arrest in 1985 Pollard had sought refuge in the Israeli embassy in Washington, but was turned away.

Pollard was paid by Israeli contacts to provide classified documents and the affair strained relations between the two allies.

The former agent’s arrival in Israel comes at a potential turning point in the country’s relations with Washington.

The Trump administration made a series of policy changes in recent years that broke with decades of international consensus, such as moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to shift Washington's stance once he takes office in January, potentially resuming funding to the Palestinians and joining other nations in condemning Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank.