Former intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard has officially declared his entry into Israeli politics, marking the move with a series of blunt assessments regarding the future of the US-Israel relationship and the culpability of Israel’s current leadership.
In an interview with i24NEWS on Saturday, Pollard claimed the long-standing alliance between the two nations is “finished” and described U.S. President Donald Trump as “very dangerous.”
Pollard, who served 30 years in U.S. prison for providing classified information to Israel, did not mince words regarding the upcoming American election. He suggested Israeli citizens are “stupid” for favoring Trump, arguing the former president is motivated primarily by financial interests. “I think he’s pro-money. That’s all,” Pollard stated.
He further alleged that Trump’s advisers, specifically naming Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, are “only interested in one thing, and that’s their bank account.” According to Pollard, the U.S. administration has actively worked to prevent Israel from achieving “decisive” victories against regional adversaries like Hamas and Iran.
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The critique extended heavily into the Israeli domestic sphere. Pollard announced he is joining a small independent party, citing a refusal to align with any current Knesset members. He alleged that every existing party has “blood on its hands” regarding the October 7 attacks.
When discussing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s role in his 2015 release and subsequent move to Israel, Pollard dismissed the Prime Minister’s personal involvement. He instead credited his late wife Esther, Ron Dermer, and the Adelson family, claiming Netanyahu “let my wife almost starve to death on the streets of Jerusalem before he deigned to see her.”
Pollard’s platform also appears to target the influence of ultra-Orthodox parties within the Israeli government. He characterized Shas as a “criminal enterprise” and United Torah Judaism as a “shakedown operation,” criticizing their leadership for receiving government funds without requiring military service from their constituents. He called the comparison of IDF service to serving in a foreign army “disgusting.”
As he begins his campaign with a party currently polling below the electoral threshold, Pollard positioned himself as the only viable alternative to the status quo.
“If they want to make sure that there is never again an October 7, you better vote for someone like me rather than Bibi Netanyahu or Naftali Bennett,” he told i24NEWS.
Pollard concluded by predicting that regardless of the U.S. election outcome, Israel faces a “choice between bad and worse” and will soon find itself with “no friends” in Washington.
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