I'm as big a supporter of Israel as is possible, but when they get caught getting Americans to spy for them (ala Pollard) it infuriates me - we're a country based not on any ethnic, tribal or religous affiliation, but we do, rightly, demand loyalty of those we place in offices of profit or trust and suborning that loyalty is not to be taken lightly. I don't much care who this clown was spying for, but if convicted he should rot in prison and die there - just as should Pollard.
I'm not saying he shouldn't rot in jail, even if, as I suggested, he was spying for Israel. Like Pollard, treason is still treason. I'm just saying that the Navy pulling the death penalty off the table, especially in a time of war, would lead one to believe that it was a friendly country he was working for.
The only other logical reason is that he's giving NCIS and NIA loads of info on other spies. This is also a likely possibility given the fact the Navy has tried to keep a lid on this story for so long.