Pollard sues Israel over support claim

JTA Breaking News August 4, 2008

Jonathan Pollard is suing Israel to disprove claims that he is receiving support from the state. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Tel Aviv District Court, emphasizes that it is for declaratory relief only and that neither Pollard nor his wife, Esther, are seeking financial relief from the state.

Instead, the suit argues that repeated suggestions by Israeli spokesmen that the state is assisting the Pollards are hampering his efforts to cut short the life sentence that a Washington district court handed down in 1987. Pollard, a civilian U.S. Navy analyst, was convicted of spying for Israel.

Pollard reports, with documentation, that he and his wife have received no financial support from the Israeli government.