JERUSALEM -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is urging President Barack Obama to release an American convicted of spying for Israel 24 years ago.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Kissinger wrote to Obama, "I believe justice would be served by commuting" Jonathan Pollard's life sentence.

Pollard, now 56 years old, was a civilian intelligence analyst for the Navy. He was convicted in 1987 of passing classified information to Israel.

Kissinger's March 3 letter joins other recent calls for Pollard's release from former high-ranking American officials, including former CIA Director R. James Woolsey and former Secretary of State George Shultz.

In January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also called on the U.S. to release Pollard.