News
Latest News
news bulletin
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Other News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Beirut
23
o
Mount Lebanon
24
o
Metn
24
o
Keserwan
24
o
North
27
o
South
22
o
Bekaa
22
o
Live
Video
Audio
Schedule
shows
العربية
watching now
Mass
SUBSCRIBE
Home
Notification
Live
Video
Audio
shows
Beirut
23
o
Mount Lebanon
24
o
Metn
24
o
Keserwan
24
o
North
27
o
South
22
o
Bekaa
22
o
News
Programs
The News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Programs
Documentaries
Lebanon’s Centennial
News Bulletin
The Untold History
Talk Show
Series
Sports
Variety
Other
Comedy
Oldies
Breaking News
Latest News
Highlighted News
Most Read
Videos
العربية
Watch the latest programs and the latest developments on your favorite screen
Shows
Join millions of followers
Who We Are
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Careers
Channel frequencies
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Israeli soldier sentenced to 18 months in jail for killing wounded Palestinian attacker
Breaking Headlines
2017-02-21 | 07:25
High views
Share
Share
5
min
Israeli soldier sentenced to 18 months in jail for killing wounded Palestinian attacker
A young Israeli soldier convicted of killing a Palestinian assailant lying wounded on the ground was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment on Tuesday, far less than prosecutors requested, in one of the most divisive cases in Israel's history.
The decision to court-martial Sergeant Elor Azaria, who shot the Palestinian after he had stabbed another soldier in the occupied West Bank last March, stirred controversy in Israel from the start, with opinion polls showing strong support for the army medic.
A military court last month found Azaria guilty of manslaughter, a crime that carries a top punishment of 20 years in jail.
With the 50th anniversary of Israel's wartime capture of the West Bank approaching, the trial has generated debate about whether the military, long seen as a melting pot for Israelis, was out of touch with a public that has shifted to the right in its attitudes towards the Palestinians.
The prosecution asked that Azaria be sentenced to three to five years behind bars, far below the maximum term, noting that he had shot a Palestinian who only minutes earlier had carried out an attack.
Passing an 18-month sentence that Israeli media commentators described as lenient, the court said that Azaria had not expressed regret for his crime but it noted that his army record had been unblemished up until the shooting and that his arrest had caused his family deep distress.
Palestinians had called for a life term. But there was little sign the sentencing would lead to any significant outbreak of violence by Palestinians. They have long accused Israel of using excessive force against lightly armed assailants and harboured few expectations soldiers would be held accountable.
It was not immediately clear if Azaria's lawyers, who had said after the verdict last month that they intended to appeal his conviction, would still proceed along that path.
Eleven months ago, Azaria, then 19, was serving in the town of Hebron when two Palestinians carried out the stabbing. Hebron has been a longtime flashpoint of violence, and the incident occurred during a wave of Palestinian street attacks on Israelis.
One of the two assailants was shot dead by troops. The other was shot and wounded. Eleven minutes later, as the wounded man, Abd Elfatah Ashareef, 21, lay on the ground incapacitated, Azaria shot him in the head with an assault rifle.
"DESERVES TO DIE"
At the trial, Azaria said he believed the Palestinian, though motionless, still posed a danger because his knife was nearby, and that he might have been carrying explosives. "He deserves to die," Azaria was quoted in the verdict as telling another soldier after pulling the trigger.
At the sentencing, Chief Judge Maya Heller said that Azaria "took upon himself to be both judge and executioner".
Surveys detected significant popular support for Azaria, and Netanyahu took the unusual step of calling the soldier's parents to express his sympathy after he was arrested. In one poll, nearly half of Israeli Jews said any Palestinian who carries out an attack should be killed on the spot.
Rallies for Azaria, some backed by rightist politicians and pop singers, gathered momentum as the trial progressed.
But members of Israel's military establishment argued that the shooting violated rules stating that soldiers can open fire only in life-threatening situations, and the three-judge panel rejected Azaria's argument.
"One cannot use this type of force, even if we're talking about an enemy's life," the court said in its verdict.
Video footage of the shooting, taken by a Palestinian human rights activist, showed the knife was not within Ashareef's reach, and no bomb was found.
The video was distributed to news organizations, ensuring that the incident drew international attention.
REUTERS
Breaking Headlines
Israel
Palestine
Next
Grand Mufti Derian travels to Saudi Arabia for Hajj
Recommended For You
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
13:35
Breaking news: Israeli aircraft hits cafe in Naqoura
Lebanon News
13:35
Breaking news: Israeli aircraft hits cafe in Naqoura
0
Sports News
2024-03-21
World Cup Asian qualifiers: Match between Lebanon and Australia ends with a 2-0 victory for the host, Australia
Sports News
2024-03-21
World Cup Asian qualifiers: Match between Lebanon and Australia ends with a 2-0 victory for the host, Australia
0
Sports News
2024-03-21
2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers: The match's first half ends with the Australian team leading the Lebanese team 1-0
Sports News
2024-03-21
2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers: The match's first half ends with the Australian team leading the Lebanese team 1-0
0
Lebanon News
2024-03-21
Israeli warplanes break sound barrier over Nabatieh and Iqlim al Tuffah, NNA reports
Lebanon News
2024-03-21
Israeli warplanes break sound barrier over Nabatieh and Iqlim al Tuffah, NNA reports
Subscribe to our VOD
SUBSCRIBE
Our visitors readings
d-none hideMe
0
Israel-Gaza War Updates
04:18
Gunman opens fire on vehicles in West Bank, wounding three
Israel-Gaza War Updates
04:18
Gunman opens fire on vehicles in West Bank, wounding three
0
News Bulletin Reports
2024-02-02
Circular 166: BDL introduces new circular instead of Circular 151 to alleviate depositor losses
News Bulletin Reports
2024-02-02
Circular 166: BDL introduces new circular instead of Circular 151 to alleviate depositor losses
0
Lebanon Economy
2024-03-26
Fuel prices rise across Lebanon
Lebanon Economy
2024-03-26
Fuel prices rise across Lebanon
0
Middle East News
2024-01-15
Al-Qassam Brigades to reveal fate of three hostages tonight
Middle East News
2024-01-15
Al-Qassam Brigades to reveal fate of three hostages tonight
Videos
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
0
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
0
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
0
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Most read
d-none hideMe
24 hours
7 days
Month
1
Lebanon News
14:25
Five killed, including Hezbollah fighters, in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon: Reuters sources
Lebanon News
14:25
Five killed, including Hezbollah fighters, in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon: Reuters sources
2
Lebanon News
13:35
Breaking news: Israeli aircraft hits cafe in Naqoura
Lebanon News
13:35
Breaking news: Israeli aircraft hits cafe in Naqoura
3
Lebanon News
06:42
Ogero employees announce continued service outages and potential strike
Lebanon News
06:42
Ogero employees announce continued service outages and potential strike
4
Israel-Gaza War Updates
08:57
Israeli attacks on Rafah raise fear assault could begin
Israel-Gaza War Updates
08:57
Israeli attacks on Rafah raise fear assault could begin
5
Lebanon News
07:42
Lebanon's 22 complaints: Confronting Israeli aggression at the UNSC
Lebanon News
07:42
Lebanon's 22 complaints: Confronting Israeli aggression at the UNSC
6
News Bulletin Reports
13:41
Calm shattered: Israeli attack kills seven paramedics in Habbariyeh - Here are the details
News Bulletin Reports
13:41
Calm shattered: Israeli attack kills seven paramedics in Habbariyeh - Here are the details
7
Lebanon News
15:39
At least eight fatalities reported in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, according to Reuters sources
Lebanon News
15:39
At least eight fatalities reported in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, according to Reuters sources
8
Lebanon News
13:59
LBCI sources affirm 'positive advancements' in US-mediated talks for Lebanon-Israel conflict resolution
Lebanon News
13:59
LBCI sources affirm 'positive advancements' in US-mediated talks for Lebanon-Israel conflict resolution
Download now the LBCI mobile app
To see the latest news, the latest daily programs in Lebanon and the world
Google Play
App Store
We use
cookies
We use
cookies
to make
your experience on this
website better.
Accept
Learn More