Jonathan Pollard has asked the Tel Aviv District Court to force the state to declare it has not supported him or his wife, Esther, since his arrest in 1985. Pollard was convicted in the U.S. sentenced to life in prison for passing classified information to a U.S. ally. In an unprecedented move, Pollard will attempt to refute government claims that Israel financially supports the Pollard couple. The legal brief states that the State of Israel has "(continuously) lied to the media, the public and the court by claiming that Pollard and his wife have the use of state funds and that (the state) supports Pollard and his wife financially." Pollard says he is not interested in receiving money from Israel, but adds that what he calls "lies" surrounding such funding have hindered public efforts to win his release. Hindering Efforts Attorneys for Pollard say the state has consistently refused to make details available about the supposed funding. "The State of Israel is throwing sand in the face of the public and of the court and brazenly lying when it claims to be supporting Pollard and his wife," said Nitzana Darshan-Leitner, an Israeli lawyer for Pollard. "The state has no right to deceive the public and to act as if it is doing something for Pollard. Not only has the State abandoned Pollard for 23 years – it has the nerve to lie about it to the public. "If (the state) has given even one shekel to Pollard or his wife – let them prove it. We know the truth, and it will come out in court," she said.