Chairman Avi Gabbay of the Labor Party responded to the rejection of Elazar Azaria's appeal of a manslaughter conviction in the death of a wounded terrorist by saying, "In rejecting the appeal against the judgment in the Azaria trial there are many reasons, but one conclusion is particularly relevant, and it is fitting that we all connect to it today - remove petty politics from the army and its judicial processes."
Gabbay explained, "At the height of the affair, we saw Avigdor Liberman writhing in the television studios, condemning the wave of fury of which he was a leader before he was appointed defense minister. We also saw the mask that was ripped from Netanyahu's face, which in this case also revealed clear leadership vertigo. All in the name of the political battle with Bennett about three and a half seats from the margins of the right." He concluded, "I repeat what I said after the verdict. Politicians should not engage in legal proceedings. Simple."