The White House has stated it had no prior knowledge of a controversial meeting between the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy analyst who spent three decades in prison for spying for Israel. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt addressed the situation on Thursday, November 20, following a report by The New York Times.
A Meeting Kept Off the Books
The New York Times revealed that the meeting occurred in July at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Notably, the encounter was kept off Ambassador Huckabee's official schedule and reportedly caught numerous U.S. officials by surprise. In an interview with Israel's i24 News, Pollard stated that he had requested the meeting to personally thank Huckabee for advocating for his release during the ambassador's 2011 presidential campaign.
Background of a Contentious Espionage Case
Jonathan Pollard's case remains one of the most sensitive in modern U.S.-Israel relations. He was convicted in 1987 and sentenced to life in prison for passing highly classified material to Israel, marking the harshest punishment ever given for spying for an ally. After serving 30 years, he was paroled in 2015 and moved to Israel in 2020. While some in Israel view him as a hero, the U.S. intelligence community largely considers his actions one of the most damaging breaches of classified information in American history.
Diplomatic Repercussions and Concerns
The secret meeting has raised significant concerns within the U.S. government. The CIA was reportedly alarmed by the event, which breaks from a long-standing practice of U.S. officials avoiding contact with convicted spies. It remains unclear if Huckabee sought approval from the administration, leading to worries that the meeting could be interpreted as a softer U.S. stance on espionage conducted by allies. Despite the controversy, spokeswoman Leavitt affirmed that "the president stands by our ambassador, Mike Huckabee, and all that he is doing for the United States and Israel." Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel, has been actively cultivating ties with the country's right-wing political factions.
