Clinton Denies Clemency for Pollard

President Clinton rejected a clemency plea from convicted spy Jonathan Pollard on Friday, citing the enormity of his crime, his lack of remorse and the damage he caused to U.S. security.

The decision was a blow to Israeli and American Jewish groups, which had campaigned for his release from a life sentence. Pollard has served more than 10 years.

B’nai B’rith, the world’s largest Jewish organization, urged Clinton to reconsider, saying his decision was contrary to his record on humanitarian issues.

A onetime Navy analyst, Pollard was arrested outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 1985 and convicted of espionage in 1986. He admitted selling military intelligence documents, including satellite photographs and information on Arab military systems, to Israel.

After Clinton’s decision, Pollard’s wife, Esther, declared in Israel that she would stage a hunger strike in hopes of gaining his release.

Pollard was granted Israeli citizenship this year in hopes of improving his chance for clemency.

It was third time since 1993 that Pollard’s requests for a presidential commutation was denied.

Pollard, held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, N.C., became eligible to apply for parole in 1995 but is considered unlikely to be granted parole soon. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies would oppose that as vigorously as they did the clemency bid.