WASHINGTON, 22 Nov. - (ANA) - Former US-Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard has lashed out at Washington after details of a secretive meeting with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee was uncovered on Thursday.

 

A New York Times report revealed that Huckabee hosted the American convicted of spying for Israel in July, with records of the meeting kept off the US ambassador's official schedule.

 

Pollard, a former intelligence analyst for the US Navy, was convicted and jailed for selling hundreds of sensitive intelligence documents to Israel's Mossad in the mid-1980s. He was released in 2015 and currently resides in Israel, which had granted him citizenship while he was incarcerated.

 

Pollard confirmed his talks with Huckabee to the NYT, calling it a "friendly meeting".

 

Speaking later to Israel's i24 news, Pollard suggested that details of the meeting were leaked by members of the US intelligence community, "particularly the CIA station in the embassy", in an apparent bid to discredit Huckabee.

 

The White House has denied any knowledge of the meeting.   

 

Huckabee, an ardent supporter of Israel and a self-described evangelical Zionist, is viewed favourably by Israel's far-right.

 

In his remarks to Israeli media, Pollard took shot at top Trump aides Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, accusing the pair of working in their own self interest while handling the Gaza ceasefire issue.

 

"For people like that to carry on with terrorists who murdered our people and who have organized efforts to discredit Israel, I find abhorrent," Pollard said, referring to US diplomats' direct negotiations with Hamas.

 

“Steve Witkoff can meet with the people who ordered our people to be butchered on October 7, and nobody seems to think that’s a problem because, ‘Well, he’s working on peace.’ No, he’s working on his bank account."

 

Pollard also slammed the ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump - a deal that despite being criticised as being heavily biased towards Israel, has been rejected by Israeli hardliners who wanted to continue the military onslaught.

 

"They did everything in their power to prevent us from winning in Gaza. They are representatives — not of the United States, but of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and secondarily, Turkey," Pollard claimed.

 

"But right now, the 20-point peace plan that the president has imposed on us undermines our independence and threatens the security of our country."   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/22 November 2025 - - -