Jonathan Pollard, Convicted Spy for Israel, Announces Knesset Run on Platform of Expelling Palestinians from Gaza

JERUSALEM — Jonathan Pollard, the former U.S. intelligence analyst who was imprisoned for spying for Israel, has announced he will run for a seat in the Israeli Knesset on a platform calling for the “forcible removal” of Palestinians from Gaza and the annexation of the territory for Israeli settlement .

In a television interview, Pollard, who was released from U.S. custody in 2020 and immigrated to Israel, declared that the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack had pushed him into politics and accused Israel’s leadership of failing to protect its citizens .

“I love the Likud but the Likud failed. We are seeing the same phenomenon that we saw in the United States—career politicians staying there forever, and we need fresh blood.”
— Jonathan Pollard, Candidate for Knesset

🇮🇱 ‘Forcible Removal’: Pollard’s Gaza Plan

Pollard’s television interview, reported by The Guardian, revealed a hardline platform centered on the forcible transfer of Gaza’s population. He argued that there is no possibility of peaceful coexistence and that the only solution is to “encourage the Gazans to leave.”

Under Pollard’s plan, Israel would re-establish settlements in Gaza, which were dismantled during the 2005 disengagement. He described the October 7 attack as proof that the current approach has failed and that more drastic measures are required .

“There is a limit to how many chances you can give the Gazans. They have demonstrated that they are not going to change, and the only way to break the cycle of violence is to separate the two populations—meaning they must go.”
— Jonathan Pollard

The forced removal of Gaza’s population would constitute a war crime under international law, as it would involve the transfer of a civilian population out of occupied territory. The proposal has drawn immediate condemnation from human rights groups and Palestinian officials .

✡️ A New Political Home

Pollard is running on the ticket of the right-wing Maan (Faith) party, a religious nationalist faction led by Zvi Sukkot, which currently holds one seat in the Knesset . The party has long advocated for the annexation of the West Bank and the expansion of settlements, but Pollard’s platform on Gaza represents a significant departure from its previous focus .

A Maan party spokesman told Israeli media that Pollard “will bring a new and urgent voice to the Knesset, one that is not afraid to speak the truth about the threats facing the Jewish state” .

🛡️ ‘The Likud Failed’: Pollard’s Campaign Strategy

Pollard’s announcement is a sharp rebuke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite his lifelong identification with the Likud party. His “fresh blood” comment is a clear attack on the veteran prime minister’s extended tenure, and his accusation that the security establishment failed to protect citizens on October 7 will resonate with grieving families and right-wing voters .

Key elements of Pollard’s campaign strategy:

• Attack the establishment: Pollard’s argument that “career politicians” are the problem and that a true outsider is needed to break the cycle of violence
• Offer a “simple” solution: His plan for “forcible removal” appears to offer a clear, if brutal, answer to a seemingly intractable conflict
• Use October 7 as a cudgel: He will repeatedly argue that the pre-October 7 status quo is dead and that any return to it is a death sentence

⚖️ The Specter of Pollard’s Past

The campaign will inevitably force Israeli voters to grapple with Pollard’s past—a reminder that he was convicted by a U.S. federal court of passing classified documents to a foreign ally and served 30 years in federal prison.

Pollard was arrested in 1985 and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deliver national defense information to a foreign government. His prison sentence was deeply divisive in U.S.-Israel relations, with successive Israeli governments mounting a campaign for his release. He was finally released on parole in November 2015 and was allowed to emigrate to Israel in 2020 .

The Biden administration had expressed no willingness to allow him to relocate to Israel, but the Trump administration quietly facilitated his departure .

📋 Key Takeaways for Reflecto News Readers

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