Israeli president pardons combat medic Elor Azaria for manslaughter

Israeli President Isaac Herzog granted a full pardon to former combat medic Elor Azaria on Saturday, addressing a case that has sharply polarized the nation across a decade. Azaria was convicted of manslaughter following an incident in the West Bank city of Hebron, where he shot dead a wounded Palestinian attacker at close range.

The original event unfolded as Abdel Fattah al-Sharif lay on the ground, unarmed and badly hurt, after having stabbed an Israeli soldier. A mobile phone video captured Azaria stepping forward and shooting al-Sharif in the head. At the time, the incident occurred amid a wider wave of stabbings and car-ramming attacks carried out by Palestinians or Israeli Arabs against Israelis.

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Azaria’s 2017 manslaughter conviction and subsequent release after serving two-thirds of an 18-month sentence drew enormous public attention in Israel, where military service is compulsory for most Jewish men. The court ruling marked a rare instance of a military tribunal finding a soldier guilty for deadly field conduct. Top military generals pressed firmly for his prosecution, whereas large segments of the Israeli public rallied behind the medic, with some supporters staging protests outside his trial.

The deep societal divisions sparked by the case extended into high-level politics. Public polling and political pressures surrounding the verdict ultimately led the defense minister at the time, Moshe Ya’alon, to resign. Following the initial verdict, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called publicly for Azaria to be pardoned. Conversely, Palestinian and human rights groups criticized the legal outcome, with prosecutors having originally sought a sentence of three to five years, and the Palestinian government minister in charge of prisoner affairs, Issa Karaka, famously dismissing the sentence as a joke.

In his first interview following his release from prison, Azaria remained unrepentant about his actions in Hebron. I would act exactly the same, because that’s how I needed to act, he stated.

President Herzog’s office announced on Saturday that the decision to issue the pardon followed a formal recommendation from Defense Minister Israel Katz. Herzog cited the passage of time and the spirit of the approaching Yom Kippur holiday, or Day of Atonement, as key factors in his ruling. Furthermore, the president's office noted that Azaria, who was 20 years old at the time of his sentencing, had expressed sorrow in his latest request. This contrasted with an earlier petition where he had characterized the fatal gunshot as an operational error. Herzog emphasized that the official pardon does not constitute a reassessment of the case.

Defense Minister Katz defended the move in a separate statement, describing it as a right, humane, and fitting decision and arguing that Azaria had been operating during a complex operational mission.

Not all military and political figures welcomed the intervention. Israeli media reported that military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had submitted a letter to the defense minister arguing that the pardon should not be granted. Meanwhile, hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed jubilation over the president's choice. Canceling the criminal record of someone who killed a terrorist makes me emotional and very happy, Ben-Gvir said in a statement.