A military court will on Tuesday sentence Elor Azariya, more than a month after he was convicted of the manslaughter of an Arab terrorist in a case which has stoked passions, debate and protest.
On January 4th, the court delivered a guilty verdict against the 21-year old IDF sergeant for killing Abdul Fatah al-Sharif. Al-Sharif had, just minutes before the shooting, been involved in a terrorist stabbing attack which left a soldier wounded.
During the course of the attack, both al-Sharif and a second terrorist were shot by security forces at the scene. Minutes later, Azariya fired a second round at al-Sharif, which the court determined, despite an expert witnesses who said the contrary, was responsible for the terrorist’s demise.
The three-judge panel ruled there was no reason for Azariya to have opened fire, rejecting claims made by the defense that Azariya feared for his life and the lives of his comrades when al-Sharif appeared to be reaching for what Azariya said looked to be a concealed device in his sweater.
Azariya could face up to 20 years but in sentencing arguments prosecutor Nadav Weisman, who had taken a hard line during the prosecution, requested he be jailed for between three and five years.
The trial opened last May at a military courtroom in Tel Aviv's Jaffa district but later moved inside the tightly-guarded Kirya military headquarters complex in central Tel Aviv.
Supporters of Azariya plan a demonstration outside of the Kirya to protest the court's decision and the expected jail sentence.
A poll conducted for the Israel Hayom daily found that around 70% of Israelis favor a pardon for Azariya.
AFP contributed to this report