Tel Aviv: An Israeli soldier who shot dead a wounded Palestinian as he lay on the ground posing no apparent threat was convicted of manslaughter on Wednesday after a trial that divided Israeli society.
The soldier, Elor Azaria, was caught on video fatally shooting a wounded Palestinian who had allegedly stabbed an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March. The Palestinian was lying motionless on the ground when Azaria shot him in the head.
Azaria “needlessly” shot Abdul Fatah Al Sharif because he believed the latter should die after attacking Israeli soldiers, according to a three-judge military panel meeting in the army headquarters in Tel Aviv. The judges rejected the argument that Azaria thought the man was wearing an explosive belt or might grab the knife he had allegedly used to stab soldiers.
For Palestinians, the shooting symbolised what they say is the military’s excessive use of force against them.
Azaria had been on trial for manslaughter in a military court since May, with right-wing politicians defending him despite top army brass condemning the killing.
Sentencing is expected at a later date. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Judge Colonel Maya Heller spent more than two-and-a-half hours reading out the decision, sharply criticising the arguments of Azaria’s lawyers.
On behalf of the three-judge panel, Heller said there was no reason for Azaria to open fire since the Palestinian was posing no threat.
She called Azaria’s testimony “evolving and evasive”.
Azaria’s demeanour drastically changed as the judge read out the verdict.
Dressed in a green army uniform, he had entered the courtroom smiling, with family members and supporters applauding him while one man embraced him.
But he and his family later looked shaken as the judge spoke, with his mother and father huddling together.
Azaria was 19 at the time of the killing in March 2016.
Commotion in court
The court threw out a relative of Azaria, while a second relative stormed out of the court after his conviction.
A young woman called the verdict a disgrace and screamed “the Israeli military is over!” before she was thrown out of the courtroom. Another woman screamed “disgusting leftists!” and stormed out.
As the lengthy verdict was delivered and the judges’ position became increasingly clear, Azaria’s supporters demonstrated outside military headquarters, snarling traffic. One held a sign reading, “The people of Israel don’t abandon a soldier on the battlefield,” and some chanted that the chief of staff could meet the same fate as assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The maximum sentence for manslaughter is 20 years, though the last time a soldier was convicted of that crime, he was sentenced to eight years, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. Azaria can appeal the judges’ decision.
Scuffles break out
Scuffles erupted outside the courtroom between supporters of the soldier and police officers.
Journalists covering the demonstration say they were attacked by demonstrators.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called Azaria’s father to offer sympathy. Some prominent politicians supported Azaria, including Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who said he should be pardoned if convicted, and current Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said the army should stand behind him even if he made a mistake.
