Israeli president pardons combat medic who shot dead wounded Palestinian attacker
Summary
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, has pardoned Elor Azaria, a combat medic who was convicted in 2017 for shooting a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank. The decision followed a recommendation from the defense minister and came nearly a decade after the incident, which caused wide debate in Israel.Key Facts
- Elor Azaria shot Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, a wounded Palestinian attacker, in Hebron after al-Sharif had stabbed a soldier.
- Azaria was convicted of manslaughter in 2017 and sentenced to 18 months in military prison; he served two-thirds of the sentence.
- President Herzog granted the pardon based on the defense minister’s advice and the timing near the Yom Kippur holiday.
- Azaria expressed sorrow and described the shooting as an “operational error” in his pardon request.
- The military chief of staff opposed the pardon, but the defense minister supported it, calling it “right and humane.”
- The case was unusual because it involved convicting a soldier for deadly force used in the field and sparked national divisions.
- Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu supported pardoning Azaria after the trial.
- Palestinians and some human rights groups criticized the original sentence as too lenient.
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