Israel will give spy Jonathan Pollard a pension or stipend like ex-Mossad and Shin Bet agents, Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen (Likud) said Thursday.
Asked if Israel would give Pollard such a stipend, Cohen told Army Radio interviewer Yanir Cozin “Israel needs to help Pollard, yes.”
Pollard and his wife Esther made aliyah early Wednesday morning, landing in Israel 35 years after he was sentenced to life imprisonment for passing classified information to an ally. They immediately kissed the ground upon arrival.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted the Pollards at Ben-Gurion Airport, handed him an identity card and a special Israeli-developed face mask.
Pollard has been aided by philanthropists, including Sheldon Adelson, who allowed him to fly to Israel on his private plane. But he hopes to soon find a job in Israel to support himself.
Sources close to Pollard said he was interested in working in hi-tech, energy and other industries. As for politics, a source close to him said “he has suffered enough.”