Israeli President Pardons Soldier Who Killed Wounded Palestinian Despite Lack of Apology
Agencies2 min read
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog decided on Saturday to erase the criminal record of a former soldier who killed a wounded Palestinian in the occupied West Bank 10 years ago, despite his refusal to apologize, while Defense Minister Yisrael Katz welcomed the move.
The official Israeli broadcasting authority said that Herzog responded to a request made by Katz to erase the criminal record of the former soldier Elor Azaria, more than a decade after the incident, and after he served his prison sentence.
Herzog's office said that among the considerations for the decision were "the time that has passed since the shooting incident, and the fact that Azaria served his sentence," in addition to the desire to enable him to "start a new chapter in his life."
Ignoring the tragedy of the family of the deceased Palestinian, the office said that Herzog also took into account the circumstances that Azaria's family went through since the case began.
The office claimed that the decision "is not intended to undermine or affect the judicial procedures that took place in the case."
The Israeli military said that Azaria "refused to express remorse and take responsibility for his actions."
In July last year, Katz submitted a request to Herzog to erase Azaria's criminal record, noting that more than 10 years had passed since the incident, and that the former soldier had served his full prison sentence.
Katz welcomed Herzog's decision on Saturday, considering it in a statement that it allows Azaria to "start a new chapter."
The case dates back to March 24, 2016, when Azaria, who was a soldier in the Israeli army, shot and killed Palestinian Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron city in southern West Bank, while the latter was wounded and lying on the ground, resulting in his death.
In January 2017, an Israeli military court convicted Azaria of manslaughter, and he was later sentenced to 18 months in prison, before the then Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot reduced the sentence by four months.
Azaria was released from prison in May 2018 after serving about 9 months behind bars, following an early release decision.
The case then sparked widespread division in Israel, between military leaders who defended his trial and politicians and public figures who called for his pardon.
