Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst who served 30 years in an American prison for spying for Israel, announced on Monday that he has decided to enter Israeli politics and run in the country’s next election.
Speaking to Channel 13 in an interview, Pollard said that he made the decision after lengthy deliberations, but that the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel was a turning point for him. He said the attack and the national upheaval that followed convinced him he had to take an active role in public life.
In the interview, Pollard expressed hard-line views on the future of the Gaza Strip, saying he supports a “full transfer” of Gaza’s population. He said Israel was not winning the war and argued that the country needs new leadership with a clearer and sharper policy.
Asked about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pollard said he would accept any democratic decision, but said Israel must examine the performance of its leadership since Oct. 7. He said he had no objection in principle to sitting with some political leaders, but voiced strong opposition to working with Netanyahu's primary rival, former prime minister Naftali Bennett.
Pollard said Bennett was “right” in his criticism of Netanyahu, but argued that Bennett’s role in past security decisions prevented him from cooperating with him.
Pollard said he would run alongside Nissim Louk, the father of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli woman who became one of the most recognizable victims of the Oct. 7 attack after an image of her body in the back of a pickup truck circulated around the world. Louk was killed while fleeing the Nova music festival near the Gaza border, where terrorists killed hundreds of people, and her body was taken into Gaza. Israeli forces recovered her body in May 2024, along with the bodies of Amit Buskila and Itzhak Gelernter.
Louk, a 22-year-old tattoo artist, had been attending the outdoor rave when Hamas-led terrorists crossed into southern Israel. Her parents, Nissim and Ricarda Louk, became prominent voices among families of Oct. 7 victims and hostages as they campaigned for the return of their daughter’s remains.
2 View gallery
Nissim and Ricarda Louk standing next to a portrait of their duaghter Shani
(Photo: Amit Shabi)
Pollard remains one of the most divisive figures in U.S.-Israel relations. He pleaded guilty in 1986 to conspiracy to commit espionage after providing Israeli contacts with hundreds of classified documents he obtained as a U.S. naval intelligence specialist. He was sentenced in 1987 to life in prison, released on parole in 2015 after serving 30 years and was required to remain in the United States for five more years. His parole restrictions expired in 2020.
After the restrictions ended, Pollard immigrated to Israel in December 2020 with his wife Esther, where he was welcomed by Netanyahu. Israel had granted him citizenship while he was still in prison, and his supporters long argued that his sentence was excessive. U.S. officials, however, viewed his espionage as one of the most damaging breaches involving an American ally.
Pollard returned to public controversy more recently after a reported meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee at the American Embassy in Jerusalem. The White House reportedly was not aware of the meeting in advance, and it was unclear whether Huckabee had sought approval from the State Department. The meeting alarmed the CIA and raised concerns that it could signal a softer U.S. stance on espionage by allies. Pollard later said the meeting was personal and meant to thank the former Arkansas governor for support during his years in prison.