Peres to raise Pollard issue with Obama

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israeli President Shimon Peres said he would raise clemency for Jonathan Pollard when he meets President Obama prior to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“I will speak one-on-one with the president about Pollard,” Peres told reporters after arriving Monday ahead of the Medal of Freedom ceremony on Wednesday. “The Israeli president also has the power of clemency — I understand all the problems associated with clemency. Clemency is not an extension of the judicial process, it includes considerations beyond and outside this area, and I’ll explain this to the president. I expect that I will explain my position, beyond that I can’t say — I don’t know what his considerations are. I intend on focusing on the humanitarian aspect.”

Efforts to persuade Obama to extend clemency to Pollard, sentenced to life in 1987 for spying for Israel, have intensified in recent months. Pollard is said to be in poor physical condition.

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