Israel Prize laureate Prof. Asa Kasher, the co-author of the IDF Code of Conduct, participated Tuesday in a Knesset panel debate on the issues of the sanctity of life and purity of arms in the IDF in light of the conviction of Elor Azariya for manslaughter for shooting an injured terrorist.
Prof. Asher said that "The discussion about Elor Azariya should be removed from the political debate between the right and the left. We can say in this discussion that 'the boy is our child. [But] 'boy' implies someone who is not subject to any judgement and who does not have to take responsibility, and that is not what we should look for in a soldier. IDF soldiers must take responsibility [for their actions] and they should reflect the values of the IDF."
He said that the facts in the case, in which a terrorist lying on the ground was killed when he 'posed no danger,' "shows that this action is unacceptable. You can use the familiar slogan 'we don't kill if we don't have to,' and in this case there was no necessity to kill the Palestinian on the ground. Therefore this action was wrong."
"The analysis of the incident gives a basis for strengthening the trust of the public in the IDF, and the unnecessary background noise must be ignored so that we can move on to more important and essential matters."
Azariya's defense team claimed that the terrorist moved his arm and that his unseasonably heavy jacket caused Azariya to fear that he was going to set off a concealed explosive.