Pollard hospitalized

The convicted US spy Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence
in a North Carolina Prison, has been taken to a civilian hospital
following deterioration in his health. His condition was not
immediately clear. Members of the Committee to Bring Jonathan Pollard
Home estimated that the decline in the inmate's health was critical.
According to the activists, he was last taken to the hospital in
August, when he required emergency kidney surgery. On Thursday, former
Hamas captive Gilad Shalit joined a petition calling Peres to push for
Pollard's release ahead of the leader's upcoming acceptance of the US'
Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pollard, a former US Navy intelligence
analyst, was convicted in 1985 of spying for Israel. He was granted
Israeli citizenship in 1995.