Herzog clears former soldier’s record over 2016 Hebron killing
President Isaac Herzog expunged Elor Azaria’s criminal record despite opposition from the military chief, who disputed claims that the former soldier had shown remorse.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has cleared the criminal record of former army medic Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter for killing wounded Palestinian Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in Hebron in 2016.
Herzog shortened the remaining erasure period on Azaria’s record, effectively expunging it. His office said the decision followed a July request from Defence Minister Israel Katz and reflected the passage of time, completion of Azaria’s sentence and remorse he had expressed.
The decision did not overturn the original legal proceedings. It came despite opposition from Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir and other senior officers, who said Azaria had not shown remorse or accepted responsibility for his actions.
Azaria shot al-Sharif after, according to the account reported by Al Jazeera, al-Sharif had stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier, been shot by Israeli troops and lain incapacitated for about 11 minutes. A military court convicted Azaria in 2017 and sentenced him to 18 months in prison. The sentence was later reduced to 14 months, and he was released in May 2018 after serving nine months.
The shooting prompted intense debate in Israel and international condemnation. The United Nations human rights office described the sentence as excessively lenient, while al-Sharif’s family rejected the proceedings. In 2024, the Biden administration barred Azaria and his immediate family from entering the United States, citing an “extrajudicial killing”.
