Daijiworld Media Network – Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Sep 20: Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday pardoned former military medic Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian attacker in the occupied West Bank nearly a decade ago.
Azaria was convicted in 2017 after being found guilty of shooting Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in the head as he lay wounded on the ground in Hebron after stabbing an Israeli soldier. A cellphone video of the incident showed Azaria approaching al-Sharif and firing at him.
Azaria was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was released after serving about two-thirds of his sentence. The case attracted widespread attention and divided opinion in Israel, where military service is compulsory for most Jewish men.
Herzog's office said the president acted on the recommendation of Defence Minister Israel Katz. The statement cited the passage of time and the approaching Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, among the factors considered in granting the pardon.
The president's office also said Azaria had expressed regret in his pardon request. In an earlier request, Azaria had described the shooting as an “operational error”.
Katz welcomed the pardon, describing it as a “right, humane, and fitting decision” and saying Azaria had been involved in a complex operational mission. However, Israeli media reported that military chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir had opposed the pardon in a letter to the defence minister.
Azaria's case was unusual as a military court convicted a soldier for a deadly action carried out during a field operation. Senior military commanders had supported his prosecution, while many Israelis backed Azaria amid a wave of Palestinian stabbing and vehicle-ramming attacks at the time.
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also welcomed the pardon, saying he was pleased that Azaria's criminal record had been cancelled.
Palestinian representatives and human rights groups had previously criticised Azaria's sentence as too lenient. Prosecutors had sought a prison term of three to five years.