Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman sent a letter to soldier Elor Azariya's attorneys following a meeting between the Kfir Brigade Commander and the father.
"I regret how the affair unfolded; from the start until now I have believed and said more than once that serious mistakes were made that led the incident to a place it never should have reached.
"As you know my position on the issue was and remains that ultimately one must remember that this is an outstanding soldier on one hand, and a terrorist who came to kill soldiers on the other," he stressed.
"I am not a lawyer and I'm not going to address the professional functioning of the prosecution, the defense, or the court and I have no ability to assess the outcome of the appeal, assuming it will be submitted.
"As Defense Minister, I feel like most citizens of Israel, uncomfortable with the verdict. I think about Elor's best interest and feel compassion for him and his family while ensuring the strength and values of the army for Israeli unity."
The Minister concluded, "What is needed now to bring this sorry episode to a close is to allow the security forces to operate quietly and without interruptions. I believe that we should wait and stop media coverage of the subject that only hurts."
