COURT CONVICTS ISRAELI SOLDIER WHO KILLED WOUNDED ATTACKER
Prime minister, others among public, politics proclaim support for sergeant
“The fact that the man on the ground was a terrorist does not justify a disproportionate response.” Col. Maya Heller
An Israeli soldier who fatally shot an unarmed, wounded Palestinian attacker was convicted of manslaughter Wednesday after a lengthy trial that exposed deep rifts in Israeli society.
A three-judge panel at a military court in Tel Aviv rejected arguments made by Sgt. Elor Azaria’s defense team. “The fact that the man on the ground was a terrorist does not justify a disproportionate response,” Col. Maya Heller said, delivering the verdict.
Azaria, 20, an army medic, was caught on video shooting Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, 21, as he lay on the ground in the West Bank in March. The shooting took place at a military checkpoint shortly after Sharif and a companion, Ramzi al- Qasrawi, attacked Israeli troops with knives in Hebron, wounding one soldier. Israeli forces shot both attackers, wounding Sharif and killing Qasrawi.
The video footage shows Azaria walking up to a motionless Sharif and shooting him in the head. Lawyers for the defense argued that Azaria believed Sharif may have been wearing a concealed explosive vest and he acted in self-defense.
Prosecutors successfully ar- gued Azaria sought revenge for the Israeli soldier who was stabbed.
Azaria will be sentenced Jan. 15 and could face a maximum prison term of 20 years, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. Azaria’s defense team said it would appeal.
The case struck a chord in Israel, where some in the country’s military establishment and rightwing politicians have condemned the trial and argue Azaria is innocent of any crime. There is deep sympathy for soldiers in Israel, where military service is compulsory for the Jewish majority.
Gadi Eisenkot, chief of staff for Israeli military forces, was less forgiving at a news conference Tuesday.
“An 18-year-old man in the Israeli army is not ‘everyone’s child,’ ” Eisenkot said. “He is a fighter, a soldier who must dedicate his life to carry out the tasks we give him. We cannot be confused about this.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weighed in hours after the verdict, calling for Azaria to be pardoned. He urged the public to support the army and its commanders.
Sharon Gal, a spokesman for the Azaria family, said after the verdict: “It was like the court was detached from the fact that this was the area of an attack. I felt that the court picked up the knife from the ground and stabbed it in the back of all the soldiers.”
Large segments of Israeli society have rallied behind Azaria. Scuffles erupted outside the courtroom between Azaria’s supporters and police while the court read its decision for nearly an hour and a half. Israeli media reported that hundreds of demonstrators blocked a major Tel Aviv intersection near the courtroom and clashed with police.
“Despite the difficult verdict, the defense establishment will do everything it can to assist the soldier and his family,” said Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who disagreed with the verdict. “We must keep the army outside every political argument.”
Human Rights Watch issued a report Monday that claimed, “Some senior Israeli officials have been encouraging Israeli soldiers and police to kill Palestinians they suspect of attacking Israelis even when they are no longer a threat.” The advocacy group based the report on its analysis of public statements made by Israeli politicians, including the police minister and defense minister.
Human Rights Watch said that since October 2015, there have been more than 150 instances in which security forces fatally shot Palestinian adults and children suspected of trying to stab, run over or shoot Israelis in Israel and the West Bank. During that time, Palestinian assailants have killed 33 Israelis, according to the group.
The incident with Azaria and Sharif took place during a wave of knife and gun attacks on Israelis by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said such attacks claimed the lives of at least 42 people and injured more than 600 since September 2015.