While I agree with your sentiment here, the problem is that that is not in accordance with our present laws. The laws apparently say that the guy should have been freed by now.
ML/NJ
The laws apparently say that the guy should have been freed by now.
The law says what the sentence was. The judge legally and properly sentenced Pollard to life in prison. Pollard's waterboys make a big deal out of the plea agreement, but Pollard violated the plea agreement, and -- this is important -- a plea agreement binds the defence and the prosecutor, but it does not and can not bind the judge.
Basically, the Israelis want their spy back, so they can show to potential spies, and maybe current spies whose ardour for treason is flagging, "see, we back a guy up." So they're quite willing to say and do anything to get him out (except, like, return the documents he stole, or cooperate in damage assessment, both of which Israel has flatly refused to do).
It's hard to feel bad about the Israelis being out all their money, and having a no-account agent languishing in jail. They've made the money back by selling excerpts from the information to various US enemies.
Someone asked about why not cut aid to Israel for a year? Simple. Israel couldn't survive, and the only nation in the world that would take the refugees would be us. It would be like getting a million Marielitos, all of whom would complain incessantly about how much better Israel was, burden public services, and vote straight Democratic. But the good news is that there would no longer be a foreign country trying to winkle Jonathan P out of durance vile.