Israel Demands the Release of US Traitor

Jonathan Pollard was convicted of espionage in 1987, but Israel has been seeking his release for many years. A 70,000 signature petition was recently given to President Obama asking for his release. Should Pollard leave jail or spend life in prison?
Jonathan Pollard is a former Navy intelligence officer that stole secrets from the United States and gave them to Israel. He was convicted of espionage in 1987 and has been in prison since then. Recently, a petition of 70,000 signatures was brought to Washington by Israeli President Shimon Peres. This petition asks Barack Obama to free the convicted spy. One of the arguments offered for his release is that Israel is an ally of the U.S. so it does not merit the life in prison sentence that he received.
This petition underscores Israeli sentiment toward the U.S. and ignores the fact that Pollard committed the worst crime that an American can commit against their country, short of assassinating the President. Committing treason in this manner is inexcusable, and Pollard should spend the rest of his life in prison, just as originally agreed upon back in ’87. Even if Israel is currently an ally of the U.S., there is only negligible difference between giving government and military secrets to them or to another nation, friendly or not. Our secrets are secrets for a reason, and Pollard betrayed each and every one of his countrymen when he gave that information to Israel. Releasing him into Israel’s custody is not an option.
Israel has enjoyed the support of the U.S. government for decades, but this does not give them any sort of entitlement when it comes to this matter, as they believe it does. A traitor is a traitor, regardless of who they betray their country to. Think about it this way: if a man cheats on his wife, does it make it better if the woman he cheats with is his wife’s best friend? Absolutely not. Betraying your nation is, in many cases, punishable by death. Pollard might not be deserving of this extreme, but he should certainly not be released based upon the grounds of who he gave sensitive information to.
There are even some American politicians who believe Pollard should be released. This is an embarrassment to our nation. Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, and Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York, have both asked other politicians to sign papers saying that Pollard has served enough jail time and should be released. When a traitor is convicted, they should stay in prison according to the court’s decision upon the severity of their crime. Pollard was given a life sentence for a reason, unless there was some sort of court-mishap, this decision should remain. If this sentence is believed to be a result of a malfunction in our justice system, this is of course another issue, but there have been no reports of improper proceedings, and as such, Pollard’s sentence should remain.
Pollard swore to defend his country and uphold the Constitution. He didn’t do this when he sold out our secrets. As a result of this, prison is where he belongs.