Israel military court to give final ruling on Hebron shooting soldier

Sgt. Elor Azaria on his way to military court on Sunday July 30 from his home in Ramle where he has been under house arrest since his release from the army two weeks ago
LIVE BLOG: Israel military court to give final ruling on Hebron shooting soldier
Author

30 July, 2017

An Israeli military court has rejected the appeal of a soldier who was jailed for 18 months for killing a wounded Palestinian attacker.

The court rejected an appeal by IDF soldier Elor Azaria, who was sentenced to prison for killing a wounded terrorist.

Elor Azaria was found guilty in January of manslaughter over the March 2016 shooting of Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21, in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank.

As well as rejecting his appeal, the court decided Azaria's 18-month sentence should stand, saying that his version of events had been unreliable.

The case stirred a polarized public debate in Israel, with many political leaders - including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - calling for an pardon for Azaria.

Azaria then shot him in the head without any apparent provocation.

"Upholding the conviction of a soldier convicted of fatally shooting a man who posed no threat sends an important message about restrictions on lethal use of force", said Sari Bashi, Israel and Palestine advocacy director for the rights group.

The shooting occurred amid a wave of attacks by Palestinians that had killed 29 Israelis over the preceding five months. His mother draped herself in the Israeli flag.

After the incident, Azaria has been under "open arrest", meaning he was confined to a military base but was allowed to move freely there.

Azaria's attorneys appealed the conviction in March, contending that key evidence was omitted from the trial; whereas the prosecution filed its own appeal, arguing that the soldier's sentence did not match the severity of his crime.

He can still appeal to the country's supreme court, though Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman called on him not to and to request a pardon from the military chief of staff.

But Rivlin and Lieberman, the defense minister, urged the Azaria family to ask Israel's top general, Gadi Eizenkot, for a pardon instead.

Netanyahu tweeted: "I will relay my recommendation for a pardon to the relevant parties when the matter comes up for meaningful discussion".


More news


  • Trump calls for end to filibuster, says Senate Republicans

    Trump calls for end to filibuster, says Senate Republicans "look like fools"

    McConnell does not have the power to abolish the filibuster on his own, and has repeatedly said he does not support such a move. During his presidential run against Hillary Clinton, Trump faced flak over his behavior and comments towards women.
    Two Rides Pulled From Greater Gulf State Fair After Ohio Tragedy

    Two Rides Pulled From Greater Gulf State Fair After Ohio Tragedy

    The Department of Agriculture will begin taking Fire Ball, the ride that malfunctioned Wednesday, apart piece by piece to try and figure out what went wrong .
    PM Modi gives clarion call to eradicate corruption, communalism, lauds GST

    PM Modi gives clarion call to eradicate corruption, communalism, lauds GST

    We must also take pledge to ensure dirtiness, poverty, corruption, terrorism, caste system, communalism "quit India", he said. PM Modi then issued a clarion call for the people of the nation: "Today, we do not have to die for the nation".
  • Reince Priebus Out, John Kelly In as Trump's Chief of Staff

    Reince Priebus Out, John Kelly In as Trump's Chief of Staff

    Trump tweeted out the announcement of Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general, as Priebus' replacement on Friday afternoon. Democratic members of the House came out of one early meeting calling Kelly "dismissive" and expressing frustration.

    President Trump names Gen. John Kelly as new chief of staff

    Later in a statement, the White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Kelly would begin his new responsibility Monday morning. McMaster, a retired Army general. "He has helped seal the border and reduced illegal immigration by 70 per cent", she said.
    Bihar: RJD worker close to Shahabuddin shot dead

    Bihar: RJD worker close to Shahabuddin shot dead

    It was reported that the assailants forcefully entered into the Khan's house and shot him in the head. He is also said to be close to former Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabuddin who is now in prison.
  • Letters: Get a bipartisan fix for health care

    Letters: Get a bipartisan fix for health care

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed that Trump was putting his thumb on the scale and toying with the lives of millions. President Trump has guaranteed the payments only through this month , which ends Monday.

    Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund

    Moreover, Shaker Financial Services Llc has 0.12% invested in the company for 12,864 shares. (NYSE:JDD) for 1.50 million shares. The institutional investors in our partner's database now hold: 13.89 million shares, down from 17.34 million shares in 2016Q3.
    White Sox Trade Dan Jennings To Rays For A Prospect

    White Sox Trade Dan Jennings To Rays For A Prospect

    Gillasapie was rated as the 10th-best prospect in Tampa Bay's farm system and was a first-round pick of the Rays in 2014. We're going to try to keep it respectable as much as we can, and in some cases win some ballgames".
  • Man, 28, Dies After Being Pulled From Lake At Oak Street Beach

    Man, 28, Dies After Being Pulled From Lake At Oak Street Beach

    The man was later recovered by a fire department rescue crew, but died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to police. Authorities were called about 3:45 a.m.to Oak Street Beach near the 1000 block of North Lake Shore Drive.

    Cytori Therapeutics Inc (CYTX) Reaches New 12-Month Low at $0.47

    A stock price loss will yield a negatively weighted alpha. 08, 2016, but are collecting gains at -77.11% for the past 12 months. Traders and technical analysts have the ability to use volume to help measure the strength of a particular move.
    Isner to meet Harrison in Atlanta final

    Isner to meet Harrison in Atlanta final

    Muller failed to put pressure on his opponent and Isner won 2-6 on his first match point after 34 minutes. Speaking to the official ATP World Tour site, Muller said: "He made it very tough for me today.