AN Israeli military court has sentenced a soldier to 18 months in prison for his fatal shooting of a Palestinian attacker who lay wounded on the ground.
After an 11-month saga that has deeply divided the country, the sentence against Sergeant Elor Azaria, which included a year’s probation and a demotion in rank, was lighter than expected.
Prosecutors had asked for three to five years.
It still triggered disappointment among protesters who had gathered outside the Tel Aviv court and had hoped to see the soldier walk free. Politicians immediately called for Azaria to be pardoned.
He was convicted of manslaughter last month in a rare case of a military court ruling against a combat soldier for lethal action taken in the field.
The verdict marked a victory for commanders who said Azaria had violated the army’s code of ethics, but Azaria generated great support among the public, many of whom see him as a scapegoat for a misguided elite punishing a soldier they say responded to an armed attacker trying to kill other soldiers.
Azaria, an army medic, was caught on a mobile phone video in March shooting the wounded Palestinian, just after the man stabbed a soldier in the West Bank city of Hebron.
The Palestinian, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, was lying on the ground unarmed when Azaria shot him in the head. The shooting occurred at the height of a wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Azaria’s defenders said he shot the assailant in self-defence, and hardline politicians have said he should be either cleared or released with a light penalty, but his detractors, including senior military commanders, said his actions violated military procedures.
Military service is compulsory for Israel’s Jewish majority.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who initially defended the military, later softened his position and called Azaria’s parents to console them. After the verdict last month, he called for Azaria to be pardoned.
The 20-year-old entered the court smiling and was greeted by applause from friends and relatives.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here