Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that he had submitted a request to the president to grant a pardon to Elor Azaria, a former soldier convicted of killing an incapacitated Palestinian attacker in the West Bank city of Hebron in 2016.

The incident exposed deep rifts in Israeli society over the army’s activities in the West Bank, with some — mostly on the right — arguing that Azaria behaved heroically in killing the Palestinian assailant, while others said he had broken the law and deserved a harsher sentence than he received.

“It is unreasonable that after a decade, an outstanding soldier who was convicted of an offense committed during his operational service should continue to pay such a heavy price,” Katz said in a statement.

He said Azaria’s conviction “sends a negative message to our sons and daughters who are sent to face danger and serve in combat units and dangerous places.”

“There is room to allow Elor to rehabilitate himself and begin a new life,” Katz added.

Azaria served nine months of an 18-month prison term for killing Abdel-Fattah al-Sharif, a Palestinian who had stabbed an Israeli soldier. Azaria killed al-Sharif some 11 minutes after he had been shot and subdued. Still, Azaria has always insisted he behaved correctly in the shooting, and he has gone on to protest in support of soldiers accused of beating Palestinian suspects.

The pardon request seeks to shorten the time before Azaria’s criminal record is automatically cleared, which, according to the law, should take place in 2032 if it is not expedited.

The office of President Isaac Herzog confirmed that it had received the request, along with an opinion submitted by Katz.

“Elor Azaria has submitted a request to shorten the duration of his criminal record. In accordance with standard procedure, the request was forwarded to the defense establishment in order to........

© The Times of Israel