Secretary of State John Kerry rushed back to the Middle East today (March 31, 2014) to try to salvage peace talks -- possibly by releasing Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard to push Israel to free Palestinian prisoners -- the Forward (Jewish) website reports.
Requesting anonymity, a U.S. official said the release of Pollard -- who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 1987 for spying for Israel -- was "on the table" as a possible element in a Middle East peace deal as an incentive to Israel.
Kerry -- who flew to Israel from Paris -- held two-hour talks in Jerusalem today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sources close to the talks -- who declined to be identified -- said that under the proposed arrangement to extend the negotiations beyond April, Pollard, now 59, would be freed before the start of Passover in two weeks. However, when asked today about Pollard's possible early release from prison, White House spokesman Jay Carney indicated only that Pollard was convicted of espionage and is serving his life sentence.
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