Israeli soldier gets 18 months over shooting of Palestinian knife attack suspect
Azaria was convicted of manslaughter in January.
Story highlights
- Azaria also given 12-month probation and demoted to private
- Israeli soldier convicted of manslaughter last month
Tel Aviv (CNN)Sgt.
Elor Azaria, the Israeli soldier convicted of manslaughter in the fatal
shooting of a wounded Palestinian knife attack suspect, was sentenced
to 18 months in military prison Tuesday.
The
Palestinian, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, 21, was one of two men accused of
stabbing another Israeli soldier in the West Bank city of Hebron in
March.
The
judge announced Azaria will demoted to the rank of private and handed
him a 12-month probation on top of his prison sentence.
Charges were brought against Azaria after video footage emerged showing him shooting Sharif in the head as he lay on the ground, injured and already subdued.
The second Palestinian suspect had already been shot dead.
Division
Approximately
150 protesters gathered outside the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv,
where the military court is located, as the sentencing commenced.
A number of right-wing activists supporting Azaria were present with banners.
One
woman held up a banner saying "Death to Terrorists." Another banner
read:"The people of Israel support and salute the hero soldier Elor
Azaria."
The case against Azaria has divided opinion among the Israeli public, politicians and members of the military, and focused attention on the military's code of ethics.
The
incident took place while Azaria was serving in Hebron, a largely
Palestinian city in the West Bank with a small population of Israeli
settlers. The Israeli soldier who had been attacked suffered a minor
injury.
According to the
Israel Defense Forces, Azaria arrived at the scene approximately 11
minutes after the attack, cocked his rifle and shot Sharif in the head,
killing him.
Azaria denied
the charges against him, but a three-member panel of military judges
was unanimous in finding him guilty of manslaughter and improper
conduct.
Israel divided over soldier's guilty verdict 02:35
At
the heart of the case was the motivation for Azaria's actions. The
soldier's defense argued he felt his life was in danger, while the
prosecution contended he was motivated by vengeance.
That defense was rejected by the judges.
The
head judge, Col. Maya Heller, stated that Azaria was an "unreliable"
witness and that his defense witnesses were also problematic. She called
the shooting "needless."
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