Jonathan Pollard has been in an American prison cell for 16 years, with still no end in sight. In fact, according to his wife Esther, the Israeli government has just signaled the world that it has basically given up on achieving his release. Mrs. Pollard told Arutz-7\'s Benny Toker today that the Israeli offer of $1 million to her husband would lead many to the above conclusion. She said that she and her husband have not even been officially apprised of the offer, but rather read about in the media, and that in any event they categorically reject it: \"Why does Minister Danny Naveh and the other ministers not demand of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon what they demanded of Barak, namely, that the Americans fulfill the still outstanding commitment [by Bill Clinton] to free him, and not deal with cheap publicity stunts for money...\"
After Pollard was convicted of spying for Israel in the United States in a plea-bargain agreement - to which he agreed in order to save both the U.S. and Israel a long and embarrassing trial - the prosecution unexpectedly asked for a life sentence without parole, based on a secret memo written by then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger that Pollard saw only minutes before the sentencing. Pollard was kept in solitary confinement for several years, until he was transferred to the North Carolina facility in which he is currently being held. He has strong criticism of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for preventing government ministers and Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu from presenting an official request for his release to US government representatives. The Pollards\' assumption is that Sharon does not want to spoil his long-standing relations with the Americans. \"Jonathan is not for sale!\" cried his wife today. \"He wants freedom, and he wants to come home!\"