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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: January 17, 2006 |
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Israel's Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition by Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. citizen who spied for Israel, to be declared a Prisoner of Zion - a status that would have required the Israeli government to do all it can to get him released.
Israel, which has pressed the issue of releasing Pollard with the U.S. administration, has refused in the past to assign him that status, originally created for Jewish activists imprisoned in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 80s.
The Supreme Court rejected the petition on technical grounds, saying Pollard didn't qualify for that status under Israel's compensation law.
"It's a very bitter decision," said Pollard's lawyer, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. "Israel has to stand up and force the U.S. to release him."
Pollard was a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy when he copied and gave to his Israeli handlers enough classified documents to fill a walk-in closet. He was caught in November 1985 and arrested after unsuccessfully seeking refuge at the Israeli Embassy.
He was sentenced to life in prison, and has spent the past 20 years in a series of U.S. correctional facilities.
His case has strained U.S.-Israeli relations. |
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