Lawmakers from Israel’s far-right and centrist political parties are calling for Elor Azaria the 20-year-old army medic who was caught on video executing an injured Palestinian called Abdul Fattah al-Sharif to be pardoned after he had been convicted for manslaughter on Wednesday.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said that it was early to talk about that and if there is an appeal in this regard it will be studied based on recommendations of the competent authorities.
Backing the calls Netanyahu said “This is a difficult and painful day for all of us – and first and foremost for Elor and his family for many soldiers and for the parents of our soldiers and me among them.”
At the trial Azaria claimed he had shot the incapacitated al-Sharif out of fear for his safety. But Azaria’s company commander testified that al-Sharif posed no danger.
The judges’ verdict states that the reason Azaria shot al-Sharif “was not rooted in a sense of danger but rather in the explanation he provided immediately upon completion of the shooting to the effect that ‘the terrorist deserved to die’ because he had stabbed a friend of his prior to that.”
However the calls were backed up by head of the Jewish Home party Naftali Bennett Minister of security Avigdor Lieberman leader of the Israeli opposition Isaac Herzog Minister of Culture Miri Regev and member of the Knesset of the Kadima party Yisrael Hasson.
Relatives of al-Sharif told Palestinians gathered at a vigil in al-Khalil on Wednesday that they would bring Israel to the International Criminal Court for what they see as cold-blooded murder which was caught on video.
Al-Sharif was shot dead along with Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi both 21 years old on 24 March last year. Israel alleges that they stabbed a soldier near the Tel Rumeida settlement in al-Khalil. The killing of al-Qasrawi was not caught on video.
The video shows that al-Sharif was shot before Israeli ambulance vehicles which did not provide any help to him and was later on killed by Elor in cold-blood in front of the ambulances.
