JERUSALEM, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- An Israeli TV station said Secretary of State John Kerry suggested the United States may free Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard if Israel frees more Arab prisoners.

Citing sources it did not name, Channel 10 in Israel reported Kerry told Israeli leaders he had not yet consulted with President Barack Obama on the possibility of releasing Pollard, the Times of Israel said Friday.


Israeli Radio said Kerry offered only to investigate the possibility of Pollard's release.

Pollard, 59, a former U.S. intelligence analyst, was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 and will be eligible for parole in 2015. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other leaders have called for his release, and Israel granted him citizenship in 1995.

Recent revelations of eavesdropping on Israeli officials by the U.S. National Security Agency have led to more pointed calls for Pollard's freedom, the Times said.