Laurence Korb, United States Assistant Secretary of Defense during the Pollard affair and who wishes to see Pollard freed from prison, will arrive in Israel on Saturday night in order to aid the efforts on Pollard's behalf, reports the Hebrew daily Maariv.
Korb has said openly that Pollard has been punished more than enough, and has held meetings and talks over the past few months with various officials in the US on the subject. He is expected to meet with leading Israeli government officials in order to update them on the developments up to now and to confer on how to approach the subject during Obama's visit next month.
Several days ago, during talks with US officials, Korb said that he feels that he must act to end Pollard's incarceration as soon as possible and that it is a tragedy that troubles him as an American. He explained that Pollard paid a price for not keeping the law, but there is an element of diproportion in the punishment that "goes against the principles I believe in as an American citizen".