Israeli soldier who shot a Palestinian laying helpless on the ground found guilty
A military court convicted Sergeant Elor Azaria of manslaughter. Sentencing is expected in a few weeks with the culprit facing up to 20 years in prison. The decision was read out in two and a half hours. The defence’s arguments were rejected, stressing how the 21-year-old Palestinian was not a threat.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) – An Israeli military court convicted an Israeli soldier of manslaughter today. In March 2016, he shot in cold blood a young Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground helpless.
Sergeant Elor Azaria, 19 at the time, fatally shot Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, a 21-year old Palestinian during an attack against Israeli soldiers in Hebron, West Bank.
The sentence came at the end of a trial that began in May and split Israeli society between those in favour and those against the soldier’s action.
The three judges are expected to sentence Sgt Azaria in a few weeks; the latter faces up to 20 years in prison.
Israel’s extreme right has defended the young soldier. By contrast, top brass in the Israeli Defence Forces pushed for a thorough inquiry.
A video shot by an eyewitness clearly shows Sgt Azaria shooting at the victim as he lay on the ground.
Judge Colonel Maya Heller, along with two colleagues, took two and a half hours to read out the verdict, rejecting the defence’s arguments point by point.
Colonel Heller noted that Sgt Azaria had not motive to open fire, as the young Palestinian was not a threat.
The incident, which took place on 24 March 2016, has exposed a deep divide in Israel, not only between those in favour or those against the soldier, but also over policies toward the Palestinians and security.
The soldier shot the young Palestinian – who had previously attacked and wounded other soldiers with a knife – when he was already lying on the ground, wounded and unable to harm anyone. Acting after the initial incident, he pointed his weapon and fired, killing the attacker instantly.
Footage of the scene, filmed by a Palestinian and released by the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, shows a soldier cocking his rifle and fatally shooting Sharif without the latter doing anything threatening.
In the video, a voice is heard in Hebrew, "The terrorist is still alive, the dog”, followed by the shot. “He deserves to die," Azaria said.
The incident is part of a wave of violence that broke out in October 2015, triggered by a series of provocations by ultra-Orthodox Jews who wanted to pray at the Temple Mount, a holy place not only for Palestinians, but for all Muslims.
Since then, incidents and clashes have occurred in Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of what has been called the ‘knife intifada’.
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