It appears that the US is considering to release Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard to Israel after all.
Pollard probably is still the the most harmful spy the US suffered in recent memory. Pollard was apparently cued by the Israelis to find specific intel indentified by file number by a second Israeli spy. In doing that, he gave the Israelis 'the holy Grail' of American intelligence-gathering: "sources and methods" i.e. how the US intelligence systems work. In terms of effort and money needed to repair that damage we're speaking probably about more than a decade and many, many billions.
Parts of this intel the Israelis then repackaged and traded to the Russians (America's enemy at the time), in exchange for them letting Jews immigrate to Israel. Some ally, but if it's good for Israel ...
The people in the US who call for his release ignore or do not understand the severity of his crime. They should read Seymour Hersh's excellent article on the case: Why Pollard Should Never Be Released (The Traitor).
It is easily understandable in light of the grave damage that Pollard and the Israelis caused to the US that there is massive resistance to his release in US national security circles.
As for Pollard himself, his motivation was purely monetary, and it was only in jail that he preferred to discover as his motivation Judaism and to underplay the part that his super spy fantasies and the need to fund his costly coke habit played. In a sense, Pollard is pretty much a 'born again' Jew. I am inclined to be quite sceptical about his ex post facto redemption.
With regard to the damage the Israelis caused to the US by reselling Pollard's matterial, it is more than a little impertinent of them to call for his release without them offering anything in return. Usually, they call for more arms and aid while at it.
Pollard's release is unliklely to placate the Israelis for long. To them Pollard is a sentimental issue at best. He is just one man, and what is that against hysterical fear of loss of regional dominance, that 'existential threat'? The US should only hand over Pollard after having received something tangible in return in terms of Israeli good conduct (no assassinations, no sabotage, etc pp).
Alas, the Israelis reject any conditions coming with the offer:
"Israel reacted with cautious optimism Sunday to the news that the spy Jonathan Pollard might be released on parole from a U.S. prison in November after serving 30 years of a life sentence. But Israeli leaders stressed that Pollard’s freedom would not derail their plans to vigorously oppose the Iran nuclear deal."
As a guesture of goodwill it demonstrably fails to impress or sway the Israelis. They probably hold the US in contempt for offering it in the first place.
Usually, spies are being released or exchanged on a strictly quid pro quo basis. Pollard's realease doesn't make sense without a deal. He yet has to complete his sentence. If Israel is unwilling to reciprocate or even concede anything, why release the man? If the Israelis are unrepentant, let him repent in their stead.