The former Head of Military Intelligence and one of the IAF pilots who bombed the Iraqi nuclear plant in 1981, Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, called for the release of Jonathan Pollard in a weekend interview.

Yadlin told Channel 2's Meet the Press that the Israeli government needs to take action to effect the release of the former U.S. civilian intelligence analyst, who was captured over 27 years ago and jailed on charges of spying for Israel.

"Pollard's release is a humanitarian issue, more than anything else," Yadlin said. "This is not a right wing issue; it is the issue of the entire Nation of Israel."

"Many senior figures in the U.S. defense establishment support releasing Pollard," he added. "The life sentence meted to Pollard is disproportional and it is therefore proper to grant him a pardon."

Over 126,000 people, most of them Israelis, have signed a petition calling for Pollard's release from jail.