Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan responded to Elor Azariya's decision to ask for mitigation of his punishment, stating that "I am happy with his decision, and this is what I advised him to do after the decision of the Court of Appeals.
Ben-Dahan added that "I have no doubt that the Chief of Staff will weigh his request seriously and will take into account all that he went through over the past year. For the good of everyone we need to put the affair behind us and look forward.'