GOVERNMENT ACKNOWLEDGES SPONSORSHIP OF POLLARD ACTIVITY


ISRAEL LINE TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1998

  Israel acknowledged for the first time on Monday that convicted spy
Jonathan Pollard was "an Israeli agent," HA'ARETZ reported.  In return,
Pollard's attorney dropped a petition to the High Court of Justice.

  Pollard believed that only once Israel admitted that he served as an agent
on its behalf will his release from prison be made possible by the United
States. In a letter written by the Prime Minister's legal adviser, Shimon
Stein, to Pollard's lawyer, it states, "Jonathan Pollard was an Israeli
agent handled by high-ranking Israeli officials in an Israeli-authorized
bureau, Lakam. In light of this fact, the State of Israel acknowledges its
obligation to Mr. Pollard and is ready to assume full responsibility
accordingly."