Will Jonathan Pollard finally be allowed to move to Israel?
Pollard was seen twice over the last week entering the Israeli consulate in New York with his wife Esther. He was seen at the consulate on Friday and again on Monday, News 2 reported. The consulate issues Israeli passports.
Pollard, who was freed from prison three and a half years ago after serving thirty years for spying for Israel, would not be allowed to enter the Israeli consulate under his parole conditions unless he received special permission.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House next week.
The Israeli government has long pushed for Pollard to be allowed to emigrate to Israel, but no administration has agreed to let Pollard go. Officials in the US remain divided over Pollard's fate, with some stating that he still represents a security threat while others say that any information he may have is over 30 years old and out of date and that the life sentence he received was disproportionate to his crime.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to ask President Trump to take several actions during his visit next week, including recognizing Israel's rights to the Golan Heights.
Israel's Consul in New York, Danny Dayan, denied that Pollard had visited the consulate.
The Prime Minister's Office stated in response to the report: "The prime minister is obligated to bring Pollard to Israel and has made efforts and worked with governments, even with the Trump government, for this purpose."