There have been two major developments in the Jonathan Pollard situation this week.

The first was when former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger joined the growing line of former US officials who have been speaking up in support of granting Pollard clemency, and cutting his sentence to time served. Kissinger said he believes that justice can only be served by cutting Pollard's sentence to time served.

The second is the announcement last night that for the first time ever, a minister in Israel's government will be visiting Pollard in jail. Minister of Social Affairs (and Minister of Communication) Moshe Kachlon will be paying Pollard a visit, and has already coordinated the visit with the US officials. This is big, as it is a clear indication of the level of responsibility being taken by the Israeli government on behalf of Pollard, something no Israeli government has done before. Hopefully this will be an added factor that will weigh on those who are involved in making the decisions about Pollard's clemency.