Netanyahu Calls for Pardon of Manslaughter «Israeli» Soldier

Local Editor

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined the chorus of right wing "Israelis" calling on the "Israeli" president to pardon a soldier convicted of manslaughter after shooting dead an already neutralized Palestinian attacker last March.

On Wednesday, a three-judge panel unanimously ruled that Sgt. Elor Azaria had violated the military's open fire regulations when he shot dead Abdel Fattah Sharif in the besieged West Bank city of al-Khalil [Hebron].

At the time of the fatal shooting in the head, which was captured on camera, the Palestinian assailant had already been immobilized and posed no danger to the public or the Israeli soldier, contrary to defense claims which said that Sharif posed an immediate danger.

"His motive for shooting was that he felt the ‘terrorist' deserved to die," chief judge, Col. Maya Heller, said delivering the. Azaria now faces 20-year behind bars for manslaughter. While the defense team said they would appeal the verdict, Netanyahu urged "Israeli" president Reuven Rivlin to pardon the soldier.

Netanyahu wrote in Hebrew on Facebook that the "Israeli" Occupation Forces soldiers are "our sons and daughters and must remain above any controversy... I support giving Sgt. Azaria a pardon."

Besides Netanyahu, so-called Education Minister Naftali Bennett also condemned the judiciary's decision, as hundreds of activists demonstrated in support of Azaria.

"Today a soldier who killed a death-deserving ‘terrorist' who tried to butcher a soldier was put in handcuffs and treated like the worst of criminals," he wrote on Facebook.

The "Israeli" war minister also disagreed with the verdict, saying that "We must keep the army outside every political argument...and keep it in the widest consensus in ‘Israeli' society." However, as the verdict was announced, Avigdor Lieberman said the ruling should be respected.

Sharon Gal, a spokesperson for the Azaria family, accused the court of "picking up the knife from the ground and stabbed it in the back of all the soldiers".

The office of president Rivlin had already issued a statement saying that any amnesty plea on behalf of Sgt. Azaria would be considered in accordance with standard practices.

Human Rights Watch [HRW] figures show that "Israeli" forces shot and martyred more than 150 Palestinians.

HRW believed the Palestinian - "Israeli" conflict is fueled by the "Israeli" entity's "shoot-to-kill" policy encouraged by senior officials.

A new HRW report suggested that senior officials encourages the IOF and Police Forces to "shoot to kill" Palestinians they suspect of attacking "Israelis", "even when they are no longer a threat."

"Given the prevalence and prominence of statements encouraging security forces to shoot to kill, what we're asking for is that Netanyahu and other senior officials issue a strong and public admonition to intentionally use lethal force only when strictly necessary," HRW representative Ahmed Benchemsi told RT.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team