Will Israeli spy's release help Obama and Netanyahu get along?

Oren Liebermann, cnn.com

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Extract:

The upcoming release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard after 30 years in prison hardly seems coincidental. Relations between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are strained, and Netanyahu has been one of the most vocal critics of the deal that the U.S. recently made with Tehran to curb Iran's nuclear program. The release of Pollard, a name that has been a fixture in Israel for the decades that he has been in prison, could be seen as a way of improving relations between the two leaders, especially after years of lobbying from Netanyahu.

But if that is the intent -- and, so far, Pollard's lawyers, Israeli leaders, and American officials have all denied that -- then it is unlikely to change relations between Obama and Netanyahu in any significant way.

"It's a very strong public issue and it's quite emotive. As public diplomacy goes it's a very strong gesture," said Middle East expert Natan Sachs of Pollard's release. But when it comes to the feelings of Netanyahu and the Israeli public on the Iran deal, he continued, "Iran is much more important to him and Israelis than Pollard." ...