Family ‘optimistic’ over acquittal of Israeli soldier who killed wounded Palestinian

The family of an Israeli soldier who was convicted of manslaughter for killing a wounded Palestinian man in occupied Hebron last year say they are optimistic that he will be acquitted only two months after his sentence.

Elor Azaria’s legal team is due to launch an appeal today for the first time, for his acquittal, just over two months after his conviction.

According to Israeli sources, Azaria’s defence team will claim that the original judges ignored evidence and testimony that were in Azaria’s favour and they want him completely exonerated.

Read: What Elor Azaria Taught Us about Israel 

Israeli soldier Elor Azaria was convicted early this year of the manslaughter of Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sharif, a 21-year-old Palestinian killed by a shot to the head as he lay wounded and motionless after an alleged attack on uniformed member of the Israeli occupation forces in occupied Hebron in March 2016.

Israeli newspaper Arutz Sheva quoted the family saying:

We’re optimistic, and we expect to see a full reversal of Elor’s [sentence].

Attorney Yoram Sheftel, a member of Azaria’s legal defence team, was also quoted to have said during the hearing that “many of the Jewish people are advocating on behalf of Azaria; they’re praying for his acquittal.”

Prior to Azaria, the last Israeli soldier to be convicted of manslaughter was Taysir Heib, jailed for eight years (he served six and a half) for the 2003 killing of British photographer and activist Tom Hurndall. Yet since Heib’s conviction in 2005, Israeli forces have killed more than 6,000 Palestinians.

Read: Palestinian killed in alleged knife attack in Jerusalem

Israeli NGO Yesh Din noted that, during 2015, Israeli occupation forces shot and killed 116 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem: yet only 21 investigations were even opened.

Commenting on Azaria’s conviction, legal rights centre Adalah noted that, well over two years after the 2014 assault on the Gaza Strip, there have been zero indictments for “suspected violations of international law committed by the Israeli military – including the killing and wounding of civilians”.