Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard to be freed in November

They said the decision by the U.S. Parole Commission was unanimous and was "not connected to recent developments in the Middle East."

Amid speculation, U.S. officials earlier denied that Pollard's release was aimed at smoothing tense relations with Israel over President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fiercely opposes. But freedom for Pollard will be welcomed in Israel. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held to that position, telling reporters on Tuesday, "I haven't even had a conversation about it." 

Pollard, 60, was convicted in 1987 of spying for Israel and sentenced to a life term, with the condition that he be eligible for parole after 30 years of incarceration — which comes up Nov. 21.

The granting of his parole came after the Justice Department agreed not raise objections, his attorneys said. "We look forward to seeing our client on the outside in less than four months," said Pollard's lawyers, Eliot Lauer and Jacques Semmelman, in a joint statement.

Even though Pollard will be barred from leaving the United States for five years, his lawyers said Obama could waive that parole requirement and allow him to go to Israel immediately after his release.

Pollard's supporters have said he was being punished too harshly, since Israel is a U.S. ally and much of the classified information he passed on caused no damage to the United States and was intelligence that Israel previously had access to.

His supporters have also said he should be released because of his poor health, with his attorney saying he suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.

Reuters