Israel wipes criminal record of soldier who shot wounded Palestinian

Elor Azaria shot Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, an alleged knife attacker who was already incapacitated by IDF troops, in a controversial 2016 case Israeli President Isaac Herzog has cleared the criminal record of former IDF soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting a wounded and incapacitated Palestinian dead in Hebron in 2016.

The case dates back to 2016, when Azaria , then an IDF sergeant and medic, was filmed shooting alleged knife attacker Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in Hebron’s Tel Rumeida neighborhood.

According to accounts of the incident, al-Sharif and another Palestinian man, Ramzi Aziz al-Tamimi al-Qasrawi, approached an Israeli military post and stabbed an Israeli soldier, lightly injuring him.

Qasrawi was subsequently shot and killed by Israeli forces.

Al-Sharif was shot, seriously wounded, and left lying on the ground.

Several minutes later, Azaria approached him and shot him in the head.

The shooting was filmed by a human rights activist.

Azaria was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison, despite prosecutors seeking a three- to five-year term.

His sentence was later commuted to 14 months, and he was released in May 2018 after serving nine months.

Read more ‘Extrajudicial execution’: UN slams 1.5yr sentence for manslaughter of wounded Palestinian Footage of Azaria shooting an already incapacitated Palestinian sparked international outrage.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called it an “extrajudicial execution” and a war crime, saying the video “demolished all the slogans chanted by the occupation leaders about the ethics of the Israeli army.” Israeli rights group B’Tselem described it as an “extrajudicial street killing.” The UN human rights office called Azaria’s sentence “excessively lenient,” warning that it will reinforce “the culture of impunity.” The case also divided Israeli public opinion and contributed to tensions between political leaders and the military, with then-Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon later resigning.

Despite the controversy, Herzog’s office announced on Saturday that he shortened the remaining period before Azaria’s record could be erased, effectively clearing it.

“The president believes that the circumstances as a whole, the passage of time, and the regret he expressed justify allowing him to open a new chapter in his life,” the President’s Office said.

Read more WATCH beaming Israeli security minister unveil execution facility for Palestinians It added that Azaria, who was 20 when he was sentenced, expressed sorrow in his request.