Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel welcomes the release of Jonathan Pollard, who spent more than 30 year in a U.S. jail for espionage.

"As someone who has raised Jonathan Pollard's case for many years with U.S. presidents, I have wished for this day,” Netanyahu said.

Pollard, a U.S.-Israeli citizen, was arrested in 1985 for selling classified U.S. documents to Israel while working as a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy, in what has been considered one of the most contentious issues between the two countries.

Seen as a hero by pro-Israel activists who have been demanding his release, the 61-year-old was released on parole after spending three decades of a life sentence in Butner prison, North Carolina.

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"After 30 long and hard years, Jonathan Pollard is finally reuniting with his family," Netanyahu's spokesperson posted on Twitter.

He will have to spend between two and five years on U.S. soil before he can go to Israel, something he has been wishing for a while.

Pollard passed secret information to Israel for a year, in return for payments, after being arrested. He and his then-wife sought asylum at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., but their request was denied.

Israel initially denied Pollard had spied for them, but in 1995 the government granted him citizenship, and two years later they admitted he was their agent. His defense argued for his extradition, but they never succeed.