Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to expunge the criminal record of Elor Azaria, who was convicted of shooting a wounded terrorist in the city of Hebron in 2016.
In a letter to Herzog, Katz detailed his reasons for supporting the move, citing Azaria’s record as an outstanding combat medic before the incident, the time that elapsed since the shooting and the fact that Azaria has served his time in prison, Kan News reported.
Azaria has already paid a heavy personal and public price for his actions, said Katz.
On March 24, 2016, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif and Ramzi Aziz al-Tamimi al-Qasrawi stabbed an Israeli soldier in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron. Al-Qasrawi was killed during the attack. However, al-Sharif was only wounded. Azaria, who arrived minutes later with reinforcements, shot al-Sharif in the head at close range, killing him.
The incident was reported up the chain of command, and after B’Tselem, a far-left group, posted footage of the shooting, Azaria was arrested and military police opened an investigation.
In 2017, Azaria was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to an 18-month term. Then-IDF Chief-of-Staff Gadi Eizenkot reduced it to 14 months. A military parole board subsequently reduced Azaria’s sentence by a third. Azaria was released on May 8, 2018 having served nine months.
In his request, Katz referred to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, which “sharply illustrated the cruel nature of the Palestinian terrorist ideology that the State of Israel is dealing with and the manner in which our enemies operate with the intention of murdering civilians and soldiers without any moral restraint.”
The massacre puts into “broader context the circumstances in which IDF fighters have operated over the years against cruel and unrestrained enemies,” said Katz.
The Defense Minister’s main argument was that Azaria should have the chance to rejoin society.
"[I]t is difficult to justify the continued harm to his ability to fully integrate into society, work and make a living,” he said. “Granting the request does not erase what happened, but rather expresses the principle of rehabilitation and the recognition that after many years it is appropriate to allow him to turn over a new leaf and reintegrate as an ordinary citizen.”
Herzog’s office acknowledged that Azaria had submitted a request to shorten the period of his criminal record. It said that once the opinions of all the relevant parties had been received, the president would consider the request.
According to reports, the IDF does not support granting the pardon.
