Jonathan Pollard, the former US intelligence analyst imprisoned for spying for Israel, has announced plans to enter Israeli politics while openly advocating the forced removal of Palestinians from Gaza.
Speaking to Israel’s Channel 13, Pollard said he supported the “forcible removal” of Gaza’s population alongside the annexation and repopulation of the territory by Israelis. His remarks sparked widespread criticism from rights advocates and observers who described the comments as support for ethnic cleansing.
Pollard spent 30 years in a US prison after being convicted in 1987 of passing classified American intelligence documents to Israel. He later moved to Israel in 2020 after the end of his parole restrictions and has since aligned himself with far-right political figures.
The former spy said he plans to run for a seat in the Israeli Knesset later this year as part of a new political movement formed alongside Nissim Louk, whose daughter was killed during the October 7 attacks.
