Obama jokes that Jerusalem heckler makes him feel at home 
 
 By David Ferguson 
 
 Thursday, March 21, 2013 11:59 EDT 
 
 During a speech on Thursday in Jerusalem, President Barack Obama handled a heckler by saying that actually the incident had been planned in advance by his team so that he could feel at home. 
 
 The president was speaking to an audience of university students when a heckler began to shout from somewhere in the room. Talking Points Memo reported that the heckler was demanding the release of former U.S. Navy Intelligence officer Jonathan Pollard, current jailed for leaking military secrets to the Israeli government. 
 
 Obama brushed aside the interruption, saying, “You know, I have to say, we actually arranged for that, because it made me feel at home.” 
 
 He added, “You know, I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I didn’t have at least one heckler.” 
 
 Some within Israel and the U.S. are attempting to bring pressure to bear on the Obama administration to release Pollard. In a March 14 interview for Israeli television, however, President Obama said that Pollard committed “a serious crime” and that there are currently “no plans” to release him. 
 
 Obama has been heckled twice during public speeches in the U.S., once by South Carolina’s Rep. Joe Wilson (R), who bellowed “You lie!” during the 2010 State of the Union Address, and again by DailyCaller.com reporter Neil Munro during a speech in the White House rose garden in June of 2012. 
 
 Watch video about this story, embedded below via Talking Points Memo: ||||| A heckler briefly interrupted President Barack Obama's speech to the Israeli people Thursday at a university in Jerusalem, which drew boos from the crowd. 
 
 "This is part of the lively debate that we talked about. This is good," Obama said, brushing off the interruption and drawing applause. 
 
 "You know, I have to say, we actually arranged for that, because it made me feel at home," Obama added. "You know, I wouldn't feel comfortable if I didn't have at least one heckler." 
 
 According to a White House pool report, the audience member shouted something about convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, who is currently serving a life sentence in prison for spying on the U.S. for Israel. 
 
 Watch: 
 
 (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
– During his speech to young Israelis today, President Obama started getting heckled in Hebrew. As the crowd booed, Obama handled it lightly, notes Raw Story. “This is part of the lively debate that we talked about,” he said, which prompted a standing ovation. " I have to say we actually arranged for that because it made me feel at home," Obama added. "I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I didn’t have at least one heckler.” The man apparently shouted something about Jonathan Pollard, currently serving a life sentence in the US for spying on behalf of Israel, reports Talking Points Memo, citing a White House pool report.