Defense Minister Israel Katz has formally submitted a pardon request to President Isaac Herzog for Elor Azaria, the former IDF soldier convicted of manslaughter in 2016 for shooting a bound and wounded Palestinian attacker in Hebron. Azaria served nine months of an 18-month sentence.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has submitted a formal pardon request to President Isaac Herzog for former IDF soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter in 2016 for shooting a bound and wounded Palestinian assailant in Hebron. The request was reported Tuesday morning by the Times of Israel. Azaria served nine months of an 18-month prison sentence.
The move follows days of reported alignment: as The Zioneer reported Monday evening, Katz had approached IDF legal officials for a rapid opinion on expunging Azaria's criminal record, and was reportedly leaning toward recommending a presidential pardon. The IDF has publicly opposed expunging the record, according to a report by Amit Segal (N12) earlier Tuesday. The pardon request now rests with President Herzog, whose decision is expected to draw on military and legal recommendations.
3 developments
- StrongIDF: 'No circumstances to grant' Elor Azaria's request to expunge criminal record
- StrongKatz seeks swift IDF opinion on expunging Elor Azaria's criminal record
- DevelopingDefense minister leans toward erasing Elor Azaria's criminal record, report says
- DevelopingYa'alon: 'Room to consider' expunging Elor Azaria's criminal record
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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