Defense Minister Israel Katz has signed to expunge the criminal record of former soldier Elor Azaria, despite opposition from the IDF Chief of Staff, Military Advocate General, and head of the Personnel Directorate, according to a report by Hillel Biton Rosen. The IDF brass had recommended against the move, citing lack of remorse.
Defense Minister Israel Katz signed the expungement of Elor Azaria's criminal record on Tuesday morning, overriding the formal opposition of the IDF Chief of Staff, Military Advocate General, and head of the Personnel Directorate, according to a report by Hillel Biton Rosen. The IDF brass had recommended against the move, citing Azaria's lack of remorse. Katz's decision marks the culmination of a sequence that began earlier on Tuesday, when Katz had written to the Chief of Staff requesting a rapid opinion on the matter. The Defense Minister's office confirmed the signing, and the expungement is now effective.
At 09:50 Tuesday, The Zioneer reported that the IDF had formally opposed the request in a letter to the defense minister's office, stating that Azaria never expressed remorse and that no new circumstances justified a change. This followed a report at the same time that the Chief of Staff alone had opposed the expungement on the same grounds. Earlier, at 09:50, The Zioneer had reported that Katz had formally submitted the request to the Chief of Staff, arguing it was unreasonable for Azaria to continue paying a heavy price a decade after the incident. The earliest report, also at 09:50, noted that Katz had filed a clemency petition with the President. The thread shows a rapid cascade: from a clemency petition, to a formal request for expungement, to IDF opposition that grew from a single source to multiple senior brass, and finally to Katz overriding that opposition.
As The Zioneer reported on Monday, June 29, Katz had approached IDF legal officials for a rapid opinion on expunging Azaria's record, and was reportedly inclined to recommend a presidential pardon. The case has been a focal point of political and public debate since 2016, when Azaria was convicted of manslaughter for shooting a wounded Palestinian assailant in Hebron.
The president's office had not yet received the formal military opinion as of the earlier report; it remains unclear whether the president will act on the expungement or separately on the clemency petition.
8 developments
- DevelopingDefense minister leans toward erasing Elor Azaria's criminal record, report says
- StrongKatz seeks swift IDF opinion on expunging Elor Azaria's criminal record
- StrongIDF: 'No circumstances to grant' Elor Azaria's request to expunge criminal record
- DevelopingPresident's Residence says it has not yet received IDF assessments on Azaria record expungement request
Source and signal
- Internal intake