Jonathan Pollard, the former US Navy analyst convicted of spying for Israel, arrived in Israel early Wednesday morning, 35 years after he was first arrested and weeks after his parole ended.
Pollard, 66, arrived in Israel with his wife, Esther. He had long expressed a desire to move to Israel, which granted him citizenship in 1995.
The couple were met on the tarmac by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who gave Pollard his new Israeli paperwork and greeted him with the traditional Jewish blessing for when something new happens.
The Pollards walked slowly down the aircraft steps. Pollard then took off his mask and got down on his knees to kiss the tarmac. Esther did the same and was helped up by her husband, as Netanyahu waited alongside.
“Now you can start life anew, with freedom and happiness. Now you are home,” the prime minister said.
Pollard responded: “We are excited to be home at last. There is no one who is more proud of this country or its leader than we are. We hope to become productive citizens as soon as possible.” READ MORE
