In a move that has raised eyebrows across diplomatic and intelligence circles, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee reportedly hosted Jonathan Pollard, a former US Navy intelligence analyst convicted of espionage for Israel, at the American embassy in Jerusalem this July. The meeting, which was kept off Huckabee’s official schedule, has drawn criticism, particularly from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), whose station chief in Israel expressed alarm over the encounter. Pollard, now 71, was accompanied by David Milstein, Huckabee’s top advisor at the embassy. Pollard’s espionage activities, which spanned 1984 to 1985, involved the transfer of hundreds of classified documents and over 1,000 intelligence cables to Israel’s Mossad. His actions, which jeopardized the lives of US soldiers globally, led to a life sentence in 1987. Pollard, who is Jewish, had long expressed a desire to emigrate to Israel, a sentiment that reportedly fueled his espionage. Released on parole in 2015, Pollard moved to Israel in 2020 after the Justice Department lifted his travel restrictions. He was granted Israeli citizenship while in prison and received a hero’s welcome upon his arrival. Huckabee, a staunch evangelical Christian Zionist, has been a vocal supporter of Israel, even advocating for the annexation of the occupied West Bank—a stance at odds with US President Donald Trump’s policies. The purpose of Pollard’s visit remains unclear, though he reportedly thanked Huckabee for supporting his release a decade ago. The meeting has reignited debates over US-Israel relations, particularly in light of Pollard’s subsequent criticism of Trump, whom he labeled a ‘madman’ for his dealings with Saudi Arabia. This incident underscores the complex and often contentious dynamics of US foreign policy in the Middle East.