GOVERNMENT ACKNOWLEDGES SPONSORSHIP OF POLLARD ACTIVITY ISRAEL LINE TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1998 Israel acknowledged for the first time on Monday that convicted spy Jonathan Pollard was "an Israeli agent," HA'ARETZ reported. In return, Pollard's attorney dropped a petition to the High Court of Justice. Pollard believed that only once Israel admitted that he served as an agent on its behalf will his release from prison be made possible by the United States. In a letter written by the Prime Minister's legal adviser, Shimon Stein, to Pollard's lawyer, it states, "Jonathan Pollard was an Israeli agent handled by high-ranking Israeli officials in an Israeli-authorized bureau, Lakam. In light of this fact, the State of Israel acknowledges its obligation to Mr. Pollard and is ready to assume full responsibility accordingly."
