US To Free Israel Spy Jonathan Pollard

The US parole board has approved the release of an American convicted of selling classified information to Israel.

Jonathan Pollard, whose case has stoked passions and divided opinions, will be released on 21 November, says his attorney.

The former US Navy intelligence officer will be required to remain in the United States for five years after his release.

Pollard, 60, has served 30 years of a life sentence.

He was arrested in 1985 as he attempted to gain asylum in Israel's Washington embassy.

His supporters say he was excessively punished given that he spied for a US ally.

They say the information Pollard passed on was about Arab states, Pakistan and the Soviet Union, not the US.

But many Americans feel strongly that the spy should not be freed. They call him a traitor who damaged the nation by disclosing a trove of sensitive documents.

In 1998, then-CIA Director George Tenet reportedly torpedoed a deal to release Pollard by threatening to quit if it went through.

The timing of Pollard's release - coming on the heels of the United States' controversial nuclear deal with Iran - could be seen as a concession to Israel, which strongly opposes the pact.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday denied that the Israel spy's release is linked to the Iran deal.

Pollard, who is being held at a federal prison in North Carolina, has battled health problems in recent years.