Herzog Shortens Elor Azaria’s Criminal Record Period After Katz Request
The president acted on Katz’s recommendation and cited Azaria’s completed sentence, remorse and rehabilitation after the 2016 Hebron shooting.
- On Saturday, President Isaac Herzog pardoned Elor Azaria, the combat medic who shot a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank a decade ago.
- Azaria was convicted of manslaughter after shooting Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, who lay wounded in Hebron after stabbing a soldier, marking a rare military court ruling against a soldier for field actions.
- While some Palestinians and human rights groups described his 18-month sentence as too lenient, many in the Israeli public supported the soldier; Azaria later stated, "I would act exactly the same, because that's how I needed to act."
- Defense Minister Israel Katz recommended the pardon, which Herzog granted citing the approaching Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, while Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed the decision as "emotional and very happy."
- The pardon does not constitute a reassessment of the case, according to Herzog's statement, concluding the legal saga for the soldier who had served two-thirds of his 18-month sentence.
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Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog pardoned a former soldier who had been convicted of manslaughter of a Palestinian. Elor Asaria, then a military paramedic, had killed a Palestinian assassin on the ground with a headshot in 2016. He was initially sentenced to 18 months in prison.
On March 24, 2016, Palestinian Abdel Fattah al-Sharif attacked Israeli soldiers with a knife in Hebron and was wounded by gunfire. The post Israel: Presidential pardon granted to IDF soldier who executed wounded Palestinian in cold blood in 2016 appeared first on in.gr.
The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, pardoned an ex-Israeli soldier convicted of reckless murder following the killing of an injured Palestinian, despite objections from the Israeli army, as reported on Saturday evening by several press institutions in Israel, according to AFP. In a statement, Herzog stated that he approved the request of the Azariah to delete ...
Israeli president pardons soldier convicted for killing wounded Palestinian
Israeli president pardons soldier convicted for killing wounded Palestinian Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Sun, 09/20/2026 - 14:15 Azaria was convicted of manslaughter after shooting Abdel Fattah al-Sharif as he lay wounded on a Hebron street in 2016 Israeli soldier Elor Azaria is lifted by friends near his family home in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, as they celebrate his release from prison, 8 May 2018 (AFP) Off Israeli President Isaac Herzog has pa…
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