FILE - In this May 15, 1998 file photo, Jonathan Pollard speaks during an interview in a conference room at the Federal Correction Institution in Butner, N.C. Lawyers for the convicted spy Pollard say the U.S. has granted his parole and he will be released in November. Pollard, sentenced to life in prison, has served 30 years for spying for Israel. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker, File) Attorneys for convicted spy Jonathan Pollard said Tuesday the U.S. has granted his parole after 30 years in prison for spying for Israel. He is due to be released in November.
They said the decision followed a parole hearing earlier this month before the U.S. Parole Commission.
Pollard, 60, has been imprisoned since November 1985 on charges that he was selling classified information to Israel. He was arrested as he tried unsuccessfully to gain asylum in Israel's Washington embassy.
Since then, the case has stoked passions and divided opinions, with supporters arguing that he was punished excessively given that he spied for a country that's a U.S. ally. Critics - including prosecutors and government officials - call him a traitor who damaged the nation by disclosing a trove of sensitive documents.
There was no immediate comment from the Justice Department.
The U.S. has previously dangled his release, including during Israel-Palestinian talks last year. His pending release could be seen as a concession to Israel, which strongly opposed the just-concluded U.S. nuclear deal with Iran. But federal officials rejected that idea.
Pollard has battled health problems in recent years. He is serving his sentence in North Carolina.