Israeli soldier’s jail sentence upheld
occupied jerusalem — An Israeli military court on Sunday upheld the 18-month sentence of a soldier convicted of fatally shooting a Palestinian attacker who lay on the ground wounded after stabbing and wounding another soldier.
Sgt. Elor Azaria, an army combat medic, was recorded on a cellphone video as he fatally shot a badly wounded Palestinian. The Palestinian, Abdel Fattah Al Sharif, was lying on the ground unarmed when Azaria shot him in the head.
The 2016 incident occurred in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Israel’s top generals pushed for the prosecution of the soldier they say violated the military’s code of ethics they hold dear.
Large segments of the public, including politicians on Israel’s nationalist right, sided with Azaria. Some called him a hero who was being wrongly persecuted.
Israel’s defence minister Avigdor Lieberman issued a statement urging the soldier’s family not to continue appealing.
“It’s a difficult day,” he said adding the ruling must be respected. He said the military’s chief of staff should be asked to pardon him. “I have no doubt he will take into consideration the difficult circumstances,” he said.
Other ministers also called for the soldier to be pardoned.
Human Rights Watch welcomed the court decision. “Upholding the conviction of a soldier convicted of fatally shooting a man who posed no threat sends an important message about restrictions on lethal use of force,” said Sari Bashi, the Israel and Palestine advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.
Israel has been coping with a wave of Palestinian violence that erupted in 2015. — AP