Israeli soldier found guilty of manslaughter after shooting wounded Palestinian
A military court ruled that Elor Azaria, who was 19 at the time, had acted outside the army’s rules of engagement when he killed Palestinian assailant Abdel Fattah al-Sharif
An Israeli soldier who killed a wounded Palestinian in the West Bank city of Hebron in March last year has been found guilty of manslaughter at the end of one of the country’s most polarising court cases in recent memory.
A military court sitting in Tel Aviv ruled that Sergeant Elor Azaria, who was 19 at the time, had acted outside the army’s rules of engagement when he killed Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, shortly after Sharif and another Palestinian had stabbed and wounded a solider at an Israeli military checkpoint.
The other Palestinian involved in the knife attack was shot and died immediately, but Sharif was alive when Azaria killed him. Accounts of the incident given by Azaria were “unreliable and problematic” and his defence contradictory and flawed, the court said.
Prosecutors had called for Azaria to be charged with murder but instead settled on a lesser charge of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Sentencing is expected in about a month and Azaria is likely to appeal.
He had earlier arrived in court with his family, while supporters, including far-right fans of the Beitar football club, gathered outside. Scuffles erupted while the verdict was being read out.
The shooting on 24 March last year prompted international condemnation after being captured on video by a Palestinian human rights activist.