Ofir Sofer, chair of the National Union party which ran on the Jewish Home ticket during the last elections, welcomed Elor Azariya's decision to ask IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot to reduce his sentence rather than submit another appeal against his conviction to the Supreme Court.
Sofer, who mediated between the Azariya family and the Military Advocate General's Office, said: "Elor and his family are on the right track, and I welcome this [development]. The time has come to put an end to this saga, which has caused a lot of unrest and harmed us in world [opinion]."
"I sincerely hope that the chief of staff will lessen his sentence as soon as possible, based on the understanding that this is an exceptional and unique incident. [This is] a soldier who erred and a family which has been weakened mentally and physically for the past year and a half."
"Even now, I do not regret that I mediated between the army and the family, and I will continue to be in contact with them in order to help Elor and his family survive the difficult period of imprisonment, as well as the period after that when they return to normal life."
Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Ben-Reuven (Zionist Union) also praised the decision to seek leniency from Eizenkot. "I welcome the decision of the Azariya family to stop their journey between the courts and to allow Elor to exercise his right as a soldier."
"I assume that the chief of staff will consider the matter very seriously, taking into account the needs of the IDF as an ethical army which serves as a moral compass for the entire Israeli society," Ben-Reuven added.