An Israeli military court on Wednesday convicted a soldier of manslaughter for killing a prone Palestinian attacker, touching off angry nationalist protests against the verdict.
The conviction of Sgt. Elor Azaria, a 20-year-old army medic, marked a rare case of Israel’s military court convicting one of its own.
Azaria was caught on cellphone video in March shooting wounded 21-year-old Palestinian attacker Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, who had just stabbed a soldier in the West Bank city of Hebron.
The attacker was on the ground and unarmed, when Azaria shot him in the head.
Israeli military commanders condemned Azaria’s actions, but nationalists politicians have whipped up populist support for the soldier.
When the guilty verdict was announced, Azaria showed no emotion as his angry supporters protested.
One screamed, “Our hero,” a female relative was booted for yelling at judges and another female supporter stormed out yelling, “disgusting leftists!”
As judges left the court, Azaria’s mom screamed: “You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
“They didn’t give any weight to the evidence,” Azaria family spokesman Sharon Gal 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.”
Supporters of Azari – many waving the nation’s Star of David flag and one carrying a Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” banner – scuffled with security forces outside the courthouse.
Some demonstrators chanted a sick threat against Israel’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, saying he could meet the same fate as former Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin – assassinated by a far-right extremist in 1995.
“Gadi, Gadi, watch out! Rabin is looking for a friend!” some screamed.
Federal officials pleaded for calm.
“I ask we all respect the court’s ruling and show restrains,” Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said.
“What is important – despite the harsh verdict – is that the defense establishment help the family and this soldier. I call on the public to not lambast the IDF and the defense establishment. We must respect the ruling.”
Azaria could still be pardoned by Israel’s largely ceremonial president, Reuven Rivlin. Azaria’s sentencing is set for Jan. 15 when he faces up to 20 years behind bars.
The unanimous guilty verdict for manslaughter was reached by three judges – two lawyers and a field commander.
Azaria’s lawyers offered two defenses — that al-Sharif was already dead and that still could have posed a threat.
Those arguments were flatly rejected by Col. Maya Heller, head of a three-judge panel, who said Azaria “couldn’t have both sides of the stick.”
“We found there was no room to accept his arguments,” she said. “His motive for shooting was that he felt the terrorist deserved to die.”
Reading the verdict and the court’s findings took about 2 ½ hours.
“I was exhausted and tense,” said the victim’s father Yousri al-Sharif, who watched the verdict with other loved ones on TV in Hebron. “I smoked two packs of cigarettes while watching the verdict.”
The grieving dad added: “I feel good. It is fair. This is an achievement of the court that it condemned the soldier.”
With Post Wire Services