Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, has officially pardoned a former combat medic who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting a wounded Palestinian attacker. The incident, which occurred in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, became a deeply divisive national issue a decade ago.
Elor Azaria was 20 years old when he was sentenced in 2017 for killing Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, who had previously stabbed an Israeli soldier. Mobile phone footage of the event showed Azaria shooting al-Sharif in the head while the Palestinian man lay on the ground, unarmed and suffering from serious injuries. Azaria’s subsequent conviction and his release after serving two-thirds of an 18-month prison term drew intense public attention in a country where military service remains mandatory for most Jewish men.
In a statement released on Saturday, the office of President Herzog confirmed the pardon, noting that the decision followed a recommendation from Defence Minister Israel Katz. The presidential office cited the significant time elapsed since the incident and the approach of the Yom Kippur holiday as primary factors in the decision. The statement also highlighted that Azaria had expressed sorrow in his request, contrasting it with an earlier appeal where he had described the shooting as an “operational error.” The president’s office emphasized that the pardon does not represent a reassessment of the legal case.
Defence Minister Katz expressed support for the decision, labeling it “right, humane and fitting” while describing Azaria’s actions as occurring during a “complex operational mission.” However, the move faced internal resistance; Israeli media reported that the military’s chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, had formally written to the defence minister advising against granting the pardon.
The original trial of Azaria was a rare instance of a military court ruling against a soldier for lethal actions in the field. While top military generals had pushed for his prosecution, the case sparked widespread public debate, protests by supporters, and political pressure that eventually led to the resignation of then-defence minister Moshe Ya’alon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously called for Azaria to be pardoned following the verdict.
Public reaction remained split following the announcement. National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed the news, stating he felt “emotional and very happy” about the cancellation of the criminal record. Conversely, some Palestinian officials and human rights groups had long criticized the original 18-month sentence as excessively lenient, with prosecutors having initially sought a term of three to five years. Issa Karaka, a Palestinian government minister overseeing prisoner affairs, famously labeled the sentencing a “joke” at the time.
Following his release, Azaria maintained his position in his first interview, stating he would “act exactly the same, because that’s how I needed to act.”
