Just hours after voicing his support for Ayelet Shaked and her Zionist Spirit Party ahead of the November 1 general election, Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. government intelligence analyst who served 30 years in prison over allegations of spying for Israel, walked back on his endorsement of the interior minister.
In his initial endorsement video, Pollard said "I truly believe that she realizes the mistakes she made and will not repeat her error," referring to her helping to form a government alongside left-wing and Arab parties last year.
According to sources within Pollard's orbit, the 68-year-old sought to ensure that Shaked would only join a fully right-wing government, a move that includes going against elements in her center-right party's slate who are averse to the idea. He retracted his endorsement once he realized Shaked would not commit to such a move.
"He knew in advance that he is going to get backlash, including from bereaved families, but this is not the reason he decided to retract his endorsement. The main reason is the realization that Ayelet Shaked is not 100% committed to joining a right-wing government," the sources said.
"A few things happened behind the scenes today that showed him that Ayelet Shaked does not intend to go for a full right-wing government, so it was important for him to cut it. He was ready to take in a lot in favor of this move, Pollard planned to support the campaign and not just one video."
Other sources familiar with the details told Ynet that since his endorsement, Pollard has been on the receiving end of a coordinated harassment campaign that included threats on his life.
"Jonathan, who is used to being a consensus, did not imagine that within minutes from his announcement, all those who until a moment ago saw him as a hero will turn him into an enemy of the people," they said.
"As [Shaked] said under every green tree, she also made it clear to Jonathan that she only intends to form a broad Zionist government."
Shaked lamented Pollard's decision to pull his endorsement.
"I was pleased to hear this morning about Jonathan Pollard's support of me. The smirch machine directed at him from the moment he announced his support of me put Jonathan in an impossible situation and I'm glad he pulled himself out of the eye of the storm," she said.
"An Israeli hero like Jonathan deserves to be in the heart of consensus and not become a target of the toxic discourse of Israeli politics.
There have been claims in the past that Pollard entertained the possibility of joining the Likud party, claims which he denied. To this day, he keeps in touch with a wide array of politicians.
Jonathan Pollard was arrested in the U.S. in 1985, charged with espionage for Israel, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released in 2015 after 30 years, and made Aliyah in December 2020 along with his wife Esther, who passed away earlier this year.
Last May, Pollard penned an op-ed, criticizing the comfortable conditions of convicted Palestinian terrorists in Israeli jails, which he claimed encourage the next generation of terrorists to "join the club."
He called on the nation to demand its leaders defeat terrorist organizations as well as countries that seek to destroy Israel. He said Israelis should stop hiding behind the "crisis management" strategy employed by governments in response to the conflict with the Palestinians.