3 mar 2017

An Israeli military court, on Thursday, granted the request of Israeli soldier Elor Azarya — who was convicted, last month, of manslaughter for the filmed, execution-style shooting of 21-year-old Abd al-Fattah al-Sharif –to postpone the beginning of his 18-month sentence until a ruling is made on his appeal, according to Israeli media.
Ynet reported, according to Ma’an, that Azarya was set to start his prison sentence on Sunday March 5, but, with Thursday’s decision, he will remain under “open detention” at his unit’s base, similar to the months he has already spent on open detention.
Ynet quoted the judge as saying, during the hearing, that Azarya “has proven he poses no danger to the public and that there’s no fear he would try to escape justice.”
Though the prosecution initially objected to Azarya’s request, saying “the defendant was convicted of manslaughter, carried out an intentional killing, was motivated by the desire for revenge, broke army orders, violated the army’s values,” it eventually dropped its objection.
Azarya’s lawyer Yoram Sheftel claimed that “nine out of ten soldiers” want Azarya to be released, and went on to note the “massive gap” between the guilty verdict and what “millions of Jews in the state of Israel think.”
Ynet added that the court ordered Azarya’s lawyer to file the full appeal on Sunday, and that a date for the appeal hearing “will be set as soon as possible.”
Azarya is the only member of Israeli forces to be charged with killing a Palestinian in 2016 –when at least 109 Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli forces and settlers — according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
According to rights group Yesh Din, of the 186 criminal investigations opened by the Israeli army into suspected offenses against Palestinians in 2015, just four yielded indictments.
Judges called for leniency due, to the fact that it was Azarya’s first time in a “terror situation,” and also noted the alleged mismanagement of the scene by Israeli commanders at the scene, who later went on to give harsh testimonies against the 20-year-old soldier.
After al-Sharif and Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, also 21, allegedly carried out a stabbing attack on another soldier in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron last March, al-Qasrawi was fatally shot, while al-Sharif was shot and left severely wounded on the ground for several minutes before Azarya stepped forward and shot him in the head, with a number of witnesses quoting him as saying “This dog is still alive” and “This terrorist deserves to die” before pulling the trigger.
Members of al-Sharif’s family and Palestinian leadership have called the case a “show trial” for handing down a lenient manslaughter conviction for the soldier, while focusing on the case to distract from a wider culture of impunity for Israeli forces.
Following the announcement of the 18-month sentence, the family said they were “not surprised.”
Israeli daily Haaretz quoted them as saying: “from the onset we knew this was a show trial that will not do us justice. Even though the soldier was caught on video and it is clear that this is a cold blooded execution, he was convicted only of manslaughter, not murder, and the prosecution asked for only a light sentence of three years. The sentence he received is less than a Palestinian child gets for throwing stones.”
Al-Sharif’s family has vowed to take the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Meanwhile, a report released by HRW, days before Azarya was convicted, documented “numerous statements” made by senior Israeli politicians and religious figures “calling on police and soldiers to shoot to kill suspected attackers, irrespective of whether lethal force is actually strictly necessary to protect life.”
HRW noted that Israel’s shoot-to-kill policy has received widespread support among Israeli citizens, citing a 2016 poll by the Israel Democracy Institute which found that 47 percent of Jewish Israelis supported the sentiment that “any Palestinian who carries out a terror attack against Jews should be killed on the spot, even if he has been captured and clearly does not pose a threat.”
Ynet reported, according to Ma’an, that Azarya was set to start his prison sentence on Sunday March 5, but, with Thursday’s decision, he will remain under “open detention” at his unit’s base, similar to the months he has already spent on open detention.
Ynet quoted the judge as saying, during the hearing, that Azarya “has proven he poses no danger to the public and that there’s no fear he would try to escape justice.”
Though the prosecution initially objected to Azarya’s request, saying “the defendant was convicted of manslaughter, carried out an intentional killing, was motivated by the desire for revenge, broke army orders, violated the army’s values,” it eventually dropped its objection.
Azarya’s lawyer Yoram Sheftel claimed that “nine out of ten soldiers” want Azarya to be released, and went on to note the “massive gap” between the guilty verdict and what “millions of Jews in the state of Israel think.”
Ynet added that the court ordered Azarya’s lawyer to file the full appeal on Sunday, and that a date for the appeal hearing “will be set as soon as possible.”
Azarya is the only member of Israeli forces to be charged with killing a Palestinian in 2016 –when at least 109 Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli forces and settlers — according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
According to rights group Yesh Din, of the 186 criminal investigations opened by the Israeli army into suspected offenses against Palestinians in 2015, just four yielded indictments.
Judges called for leniency due, to the fact that it was Azarya’s first time in a “terror situation,” and also noted the alleged mismanagement of the scene by Israeli commanders at the scene, who later went on to give harsh testimonies against the 20-year-old soldier.
After al-Sharif and Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, also 21, allegedly carried out a stabbing attack on another soldier in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron last March, al-Qasrawi was fatally shot, while al-Sharif was shot and left severely wounded on the ground for several minutes before Azarya stepped forward and shot him in the head, with a number of witnesses quoting him as saying “This dog is still alive” and “This terrorist deserves to die” before pulling the trigger.
Members of al-Sharif’s family and Palestinian leadership have called the case a “show trial” for handing down a lenient manslaughter conviction for the soldier, while focusing on the case to distract from a wider culture of impunity for Israeli forces.
Following the announcement of the 18-month sentence, the family said they were “not surprised.”
Israeli daily Haaretz quoted them as saying: “from the onset we knew this was a show trial that will not do us justice. Even though the soldier was caught on video and it is clear that this is a cold blooded execution, he was convicted only of manslaughter, not murder, and the prosecution asked for only a light sentence of three years. The sentence he received is less than a Palestinian child gets for throwing stones.”
Al-Sharif’s family has vowed to take the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Meanwhile, a report released by HRW, days before Azarya was convicted, documented “numerous statements” made by senior Israeli politicians and religious figures “calling on police and soldiers to shoot to kill suspected attackers, irrespective of whether lethal force is actually strictly necessary to protect life.”
HRW noted that Israel’s shoot-to-kill policy has received widespread support among Israeli citizens, citing a 2016 poll by the Israel Democracy Institute which found that 47 percent of Jewish Israelis supported the sentiment that “any Palestinian who carries out a terror attack against Jews should be killed on the spot, even if he has been captured and clearly does not pose a threat.”
26 feb 2017
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Shir Hever is an Economist working at The Real News Network.
His economic research focuses on Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory; international aid to the Palestinians and to Israel; the effects of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories on the Israeli economy; and the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns against Israel. His first book: Political Economy of Israel’s Occupation: Repression Beyond Exploitation, was published by Pluto Press. SHARMINI PERIES: It’s The Real News Network. I’m Sharmini Peries, coming to you from Baltimore. An Israeli Military Court handed down an 18-month sentence to Israeli soldier Elor Azaria for the murder of Palestinian, Fatah Al-Sharif. Al-Sharif was lying on the ground at the time of the fatal shooting. |
SHARMINI PERIES: Azaria, the soldier was convicted in early January of manslaughter for shooting Fatah Al- Sharif and for inappropriate conduct. We reported his conviction in Real News interview that was published on January 5th. Despite the light punishment, large segments of the Israeli public expressed outrage over the fact that he was given a punishment at all. Joining me now to discuss this further is Shir Hever. Shir is a Real News correspondent and he’s speaking today with us from Heidelberg, Germany. Thanks for joining us, Shir.
SHIR HEVER: Thank you for having me, Sharmini.
SHARMINI PERIES: So, Shir, the prosecution was very controversial at the time. He was prosecuted but the sentence seemed to spur more controversy. What’s going on?
SHIR HEVER: What’s going on is that the case of Elor Azaria exposes the contradictions in the Israeli occupation in a very clear way. According to the UN data there were 105 Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces in the year 2016. And Fatah Al-Sharif is only one of 105. But the number of people who were actually put on trial for all of these killings is just one. It’s just Elor Azaria.
And in his case, it’s not the fact that this execution of Fatah Al-Sharif was very clearly a murder, but it was the fact that he was caught on camera. And it was the fact that he is one of the least protected members of the Israeli military forces because of his own background, because he’s a Mizrahi Jew from a relatively lower class of the Israeli society. He’s not so well connected. And so, that caused a lot of outrage because why does he have to stand trial when so many Israeli soldiers and officers have killed many more Palestinians and were completely unaccountable for it?
So, the fact that he was convicted of manslaughter and inappropriate conduct was already scandalous. It was scandalous because it was a very, very light conviction. It had nothing to do with the actual crime that he committed because he did commit a murder. But on the other hand, it caused, mostly within Israel, outrage from the right wing who were saying, “how dare you put this brave soldier on trial for doing what the government is saying, again and again, is absolutely legitimate?
We should go out and kill Palestinians on every occasion especially those Palestinians who are suspected even on the slightest of suspicions of preparing to carry an attack of any kind.
Now, Elor Azaria, a military medic, he approached the scene. He sees a Palestinian bleeding on the ground and instead of acting as a medic and rendering assistance he takes out his gun and shoots the man in his head. During the trial, Elor Azaria did every possible mistake. He contradicted his own testimony, had very poor lawyers who mounted a very terrible defense. And that put the Israeli Court, the Military Court in a very difficult position, in a very tight spot.
In fact, you could say this whole trial was pretty much predicted, the outcome was predictable. But it was the Military Court itself who stood on trial because they had the public opinion and the Israeli government calling on them to acquit. Calling on them not to punish Elor Azaria. And on the other hand, they had every legal reason and every shred of evidence saying they have to convict Elor Azaria of a much more serious crime.
Azaria never expressed any remorse for the killing of Al-Sharif. So, what they did in the end, the sentencing of 18 months, is a very odd decision. I think it shows that the Military Court is completely failed to have any kind of meaningful strategy in light of the situation because what they did is the average. The prosecution said for a conviction in manslaughter and inappropriate conduct the minimum sentencing should be three years.
The Israeli government was saying you should acquit him completely and set him free. So, they just took the middle. And by doing that they have lost both the support of the public opinion in Israel, which is now siding against the judges and the lawyers and so on, and there are massive demonstrations in support of Elor Azaria. And they’ve also lost all credibility as a court because they’ve given a sentence that has nothing to do with the law, nothing to do with the rule of law.
SHARMINI PERIES: And the other extraordinary thing about this, Shir, was that various political members of the government, and so on, were also getting involved. Making statements about what they thought should happen, in spite of the court, you know, considering this case.
SHIR HEVER: Absolutely. The former Minister of Defense of Israel, Moshe Ya’alon, he said that Elor Azaria has to stand trial for what he did. What he did was wrong, was not part of the military heart in that he was not following orders. And he was fired from his position as Minister of Defense and replaced by, I think, Avigdor Lieberman, the new Minister of Defense, who supported Elor Azaria from the start.
So, this trial is not just about this young soldier of the rank of Sergeant. This is a major divisive point in Israeli public opinion. The Minister of Education Naftali Bennett has now said today, that unless Elor Azaria will be immediately pardoned from serving this jail sentence that it would be a security risk to the State of Israel. Which is a very odd statement. But it shows that for him this is a clear message that all Israeli soldiers should feel free to use their guns at will against Palestinians without any fear of repercussions.
And even the head of the opposition in Israel, who is supposed to be from the left, although that argument is very questionable — he said Elor Azaria was operating in an impossible situation. He was asked to serve in an impossible situation. If he would then follow up from that statement and say, “actually there is no reason for the Israeli military to control a civilian population in the city of Hebron and the rest of the West Bank, and expecting Israeli soldiers to act as police officers in an occupied territory” will of course continue to create stories like we see now with Elor Azaria and the murder of al-Fatah Al-Sharif.
If he would have made that statement, that would have been a very welcome statement and a very important statement. But he did not make that statement. He does not explain how we expect the Israeli military to control 4½ million Palestinians under military occupation without innocent people being killed repeatedly.
SHARMINI PERIES: Alright. I thank you so much for joining us today, Shir, and we’ll be following up on the story with you soon. Thank you.
SHIR HEVER: Thank you very much, Sharmini.
SHARMINI PERIES: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.
SHIR HEVER: Thank you for having me, Sharmini.
SHARMINI PERIES: So, Shir, the prosecution was very controversial at the time. He was prosecuted but the sentence seemed to spur more controversy. What’s going on?
SHIR HEVER: What’s going on is that the case of Elor Azaria exposes the contradictions in the Israeli occupation in a very clear way. According to the UN data there were 105 Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces in the year 2016. And Fatah Al-Sharif is only one of 105. But the number of people who were actually put on trial for all of these killings is just one. It’s just Elor Azaria.
And in his case, it’s not the fact that this execution of Fatah Al-Sharif was very clearly a murder, but it was the fact that he was caught on camera. And it was the fact that he is one of the least protected members of the Israeli military forces because of his own background, because he’s a Mizrahi Jew from a relatively lower class of the Israeli society. He’s not so well connected. And so, that caused a lot of outrage because why does he have to stand trial when so many Israeli soldiers and officers have killed many more Palestinians and were completely unaccountable for it?
So, the fact that he was convicted of manslaughter and inappropriate conduct was already scandalous. It was scandalous because it was a very, very light conviction. It had nothing to do with the actual crime that he committed because he did commit a murder. But on the other hand, it caused, mostly within Israel, outrage from the right wing who were saying, “how dare you put this brave soldier on trial for doing what the government is saying, again and again, is absolutely legitimate?
We should go out and kill Palestinians on every occasion especially those Palestinians who are suspected even on the slightest of suspicions of preparing to carry an attack of any kind.
Now, Elor Azaria, a military medic, he approached the scene. He sees a Palestinian bleeding on the ground and instead of acting as a medic and rendering assistance he takes out his gun and shoots the man in his head. During the trial, Elor Azaria did every possible mistake. He contradicted his own testimony, had very poor lawyers who mounted a very terrible defense. And that put the Israeli Court, the Military Court in a very difficult position, in a very tight spot.
In fact, you could say this whole trial was pretty much predicted, the outcome was predictable. But it was the Military Court itself who stood on trial because they had the public opinion and the Israeli government calling on them to acquit. Calling on them not to punish Elor Azaria. And on the other hand, they had every legal reason and every shred of evidence saying they have to convict Elor Azaria of a much more serious crime.
Azaria never expressed any remorse for the killing of Al-Sharif. So, what they did in the end, the sentencing of 18 months, is a very odd decision. I think it shows that the Military Court is completely failed to have any kind of meaningful strategy in light of the situation because what they did is the average. The prosecution said for a conviction in manslaughter and inappropriate conduct the minimum sentencing should be three years.
The Israeli government was saying you should acquit him completely and set him free. So, they just took the middle. And by doing that they have lost both the support of the public opinion in Israel, which is now siding against the judges and the lawyers and so on, and there are massive demonstrations in support of Elor Azaria. And they’ve also lost all credibility as a court because they’ve given a sentence that has nothing to do with the law, nothing to do with the rule of law.
SHARMINI PERIES: And the other extraordinary thing about this, Shir, was that various political members of the government, and so on, were also getting involved. Making statements about what they thought should happen, in spite of the court, you know, considering this case.
SHIR HEVER: Absolutely. The former Minister of Defense of Israel, Moshe Ya’alon, he said that Elor Azaria has to stand trial for what he did. What he did was wrong, was not part of the military heart in that he was not following orders. And he was fired from his position as Minister of Defense and replaced by, I think, Avigdor Lieberman, the new Minister of Defense, who supported Elor Azaria from the start.
So, this trial is not just about this young soldier of the rank of Sergeant. This is a major divisive point in Israeli public opinion. The Minister of Education Naftali Bennett has now said today, that unless Elor Azaria will be immediately pardoned from serving this jail sentence that it would be a security risk to the State of Israel. Which is a very odd statement. But it shows that for him this is a clear message that all Israeli soldiers should feel free to use their guns at will against Palestinians without any fear of repercussions.
And even the head of the opposition in Israel, who is supposed to be from the left, although that argument is very questionable — he said Elor Azaria was operating in an impossible situation. He was asked to serve in an impossible situation. If he would then follow up from that statement and say, “actually there is no reason for the Israeli military to control a civilian population in the city of Hebron and the rest of the West Bank, and expecting Israeli soldiers to act as police officers in an occupied territory” will of course continue to create stories like we see now with Elor Azaria and the murder of al-Fatah Al-Sharif.
If he would have made that statement, that would have been a very welcome statement and a very important statement. But he did not make that statement. He does not explain how we expect the Israeli military to control 4½ million Palestinians under military occupation without innocent people being killed repeatedly.
SHARMINI PERIES: Alright. I thank you so much for joining us today, Shir, and we’ll be following up on the story with you soon. Thank you.
SHIR HEVER: Thank you very much, Sharmini.
SHARMINI PERIES: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.
24 feb 2017

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani compares Elor Azaria's 18-month sentence for killing 'a wounded Palestinian' with three-year sentences given to Palestinian children for throwing stones; she declares that the case reinforces a 'culture of impunity.'
GENEVA — The United Nations' human rights office said on Friday that the 18-month sentence handed down to Israeli soldier Elor Azaria for killing 'a wounded Palestinian' was "excessively lenient" and "unacceptable".
Azaria, who shot Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in the head after he was incapacitated following a knife attack he instigated in March 2016, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment on Tuesday. The show of leniency drew Palestinian outrage.
"We are deeply disturbed at the lenient sentence given by the Tel Aviv Military Court earlier this week to an Israeli soldier convicted of unlawfully killing a wounded Palestinian in an apparent extrajudicial execution of an unarmed man who clearly posed no imminent threat," UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a news briefing in Geneva.
"It also stands in contrast to the sentences handed down by other Israeli courts for other less serious offences, notably the sentencing of Palestinian children to more than three years' imprisonment for throwing stones at cars. This case risks undermining confidence in the justice system and reinforcing the culture of impunity."
Manslaughter carries a maximum punishment of 20 years under Israeli law, she said.
"This case risks undermining confidence in the justice system and reinforcing the culture of impunity," Shamdasani said. "This is a chronic culture of impunity we are talking about."
More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces since the most recent upsurge in violence began in the West Bank in September 2015, she said.
Azaria is the only member of the Israeli security forces to have been brought to trial for such a killing, she added.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is due to address the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday at the start of its main annual session that lasts until March 24.
GENEVA — The United Nations' human rights office said on Friday that the 18-month sentence handed down to Israeli soldier Elor Azaria for killing 'a wounded Palestinian' was "excessively lenient" and "unacceptable".
Azaria, who shot Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in the head after he was incapacitated following a knife attack he instigated in March 2016, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment on Tuesday. The show of leniency drew Palestinian outrage.
"We are deeply disturbed at the lenient sentence given by the Tel Aviv Military Court earlier this week to an Israeli soldier convicted of unlawfully killing a wounded Palestinian in an apparent extrajudicial execution of an unarmed man who clearly posed no imminent threat," UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a news briefing in Geneva.
"It also stands in contrast to the sentences handed down by other Israeli courts for other less serious offences, notably the sentencing of Palestinian children to more than three years' imprisonment for throwing stones at cars. This case risks undermining confidence in the justice system and reinforcing the culture of impunity."
Manslaughter carries a maximum punishment of 20 years under Israeli law, she said.
"This case risks undermining confidence in the justice system and reinforcing the culture of impunity," Shamdasani said. "This is a chronic culture of impunity we are talking about."
More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces since the most recent upsurge in violence began in the West Bank in September 2015, she said.
Azaria is the only member of the Israeli security forces to have been brought to trial for such a killing, she added.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is due to address the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday at the start of its main annual session that lasts until March 24.
23 feb 2017

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he remained in favor of a pardon for soldier Elor Azaria who shot and killed the wounded Palestinian youth Abdulfattah al-Sharif. Netanyahu’s statement came after soldier Azaria was sentenced to 18 months in prison for manslaughter, radio Israel reported.
Netanyahu said that he calls for pardoning al-Sharif’s killer because “it was necessary to take into consideration the difficult circumstances soldiers are thrust into when they have to make extremely difficult decisions”.
Netanyahu also told reporters, who are escorting him during his visit to Australia, that difficult circumstances involve empowerment of soldiers and security forces to defend themselves in violent acts.
Netanyahu said that he calls for pardoning al-Sharif’s killer because “it was necessary to take into consideration the difficult circumstances soldiers are thrust into when they have to make extremely difficult decisions”.
Netanyahu also told reporters, who are escorting him during his visit to Australia, that difficult circumstances involve empowerment of soldiers and security forces to defend themselves in violent acts.
22 feb 2017

'If [a Palestinian] kills an animal... he would have gotten more time,' family of deceased man says
An 18-month jail sentence handed down to an Israel Defence Force (IDF) recruit for the killing of a wounded Palestinian has prompted widespread criticism for its apparent leniency in light of the severity of his crime.
Then 19-year-old medic Elor Azaria was found guilty of manslaughter for fatally shooting 21-year-old Palestinian knife attacker Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in the head after the assailant had already been disarmed and injured in an incident in Hebron last year.
The killing was recorded by an onlooker using a mobile phone in footage that was widely shared by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
While prosecutors sought a term of between three and five years in jail, Azaria was given 18 months in prison, 12 months' probation, and was demoted from Sergeant to Private. Manslaughter is punishable by up to 20 years in prison under Israeli law.
The ruling was a landmark case insofar as no member of the IDF has been prosecuted for actions carried out in uniform in over 12 years.
However, Palestinians and rights activists have widely criticised the punishment as not severe enough.
It is possible that Azaria could walk free after serving 12 months of his sentence, and there have been several high-profile calls for the young recruit to be pardoned altogether.
His lawyers' claims of self-defence are supported by 65 per cent of the Jewish Israeli public, an August 2016 survey by the Israel Democracy Institute found.
Al-Sharif’s father Yusri told reporters from his home in the West Bank that the family had never expected the Tel Aviv military court “show trial” to do the deceased man justice.
“Even though the soldier was caught on video and it is clear that this is a cold-blooded execution, he was convicted only of manslaughter, not murder, and the prosecution asked for only a light sentence of three years.
An 18-month jail sentence handed down to an Israel Defence Force (IDF) recruit for the killing of a wounded Palestinian has prompted widespread criticism for its apparent leniency in light of the severity of his crime.
Then 19-year-old medic Elor Azaria was found guilty of manslaughter for fatally shooting 21-year-old Palestinian knife attacker Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in the head after the assailant had already been disarmed and injured in an incident in Hebron last year.
The killing was recorded by an onlooker using a mobile phone in footage that was widely shared by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
While prosecutors sought a term of between three and five years in jail, Azaria was given 18 months in prison, 12 months' probation, and was demoted from Sergeant to Private. Manslaughter is punishable by up to 20 years in prison under Israeli law.
The ruling was a landmark case insofar as no member of the IDF has been prosecuted for actions carried out in uniform in over 12 years.
However, Palestinians and rights activists have widely criticised the punishment as not severe enough.
It is possible that Azaria could walk free after serving 12 months of his sentence, and there have been several high-profile calls for the young recruit to be pardoned altogether.
His lawyers' claims of self-defence are supported by 65 per cent of the Jewish Israeli public, an August 2016 survey by the Israel Democracy Institute found.
Al-Sharif’s father Yusri told reporters from his home in the West Bank that the family had never expected the Tel Aviv military court “show trial” to do the deceased man justice.
“Even though the soldier was caught on video and it is clear that this is a cold-blooded execution, he was convicted only of manslaughter, not murder, and the prosecution asked for only a light sentence of three years.

The seven minors received sentences of between one year and three years and three months in prison for throwing stones at Israeli cars in Beit Hanina
“The sentence he received is less than a Palestinian child gets for throwing stones.”
The family’s comments are not hyperbole. In 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet established a mandatory minimum penalty of four years in prison for those who "endanger human lives by throwing stones, fire-bombs and explosives".
The temporary measure, expected to last until 2018, came into force after an Israeli man died in a car crash linked to a stone-throwing incident.
Under military law, Palestinian rights group Addameer says, throwing stones can be punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Just a handful of people imprisoned under the new stone-throwing legislation who were handed down longer sentences than Azaria, include five boys from east Jerusalem who were sentenced in March last year for throwing stones at cars:
In addition to the above five, in the same trial, 14-year-old Omar Rani Yaseen received a one-year sentence, and Yazan Hani Ayoub, whose age was not given, was given one year and two months in prison.
“The sentence he received is less than a Palestinian child gets for throwing stones.”
The family’s comments are not hyperbole. In 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet established a mandatory minimum penalty of four years in prison for those who "endanger human lives by throwing stones, fire-bombs and explosives".
The temporary measure, expected to last until 2018, came into force after an Israeli man died in a car crash linked to a stone-throwing incident.
Under military law, Palestinian rights group Addameer says, throwing stones can be punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Just a handful of people imprisoned under the new stone-throwing legislation who were handed down longer sentences than Azaria, include five boys from east Jerusalem who were sentenced in March last year for throwing stones at cars:
- Saleh Ashraf Ishtayya, 16: three years and three months in prison
- Muhammad Ahmad Jaber, 14: three years in prison
- Murad Raed Alqam, 14: three years in prison
- Muhammad Na’el Tayeh, 17: two years and four months in prison
- Zaid Ayed al-Taweel, 16: two years and four months in prison
In addition to the above five, in the same trial, 14-year-old Omar Rani Yaseen received a one-year sentence, and Yazan Hani Ayoub, whose age was not given, was given one year and two months in prison.
21 feb 2017
The family disclosed their intention to raise the file to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in order to be submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the prosecution of soldier Azaria along with Israeli leaders.
Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the court’s sentence a farce saying that it is a form of discrimination against Palestinians. The normal sentence for such a crime reaches over 20 years, the ministry highlighted.
Head of Palestinian Prisoner Society Qadoura Fares opined that the light sentence urges Israeli soldiers to commit more crimes against Palestinians.
Issa Qaraqe, Head of Detainees and Ex-detainees Committee, said Israeli military courts are extremely racist and do not abide by humanitarian standards or even court just procedures.
For her part, member of the PLO executive committee Hanan Ashrawi said that Israeli judiciary follows a system of racism and extremism which is based on apartheid.
An Israeli military court convicted soldier Elor Azaria, of intentional killing of martyr Sharif on March 24, 2016 after he was shot and wounded for alleged stabbing attack carried out by Sharif and his friend martyr Ramzi al-Qasrawi.
Israeli military court gives killer of Palestinian lenient jail term
After one year of court hearings and deliberations, an Israeli military court sentenced Elor Azaria, a soldier who murdered in cold blood a Palestinian wounded young man, to only 18 months in jail, although he had already been convicted of intentional killing.
The Israeli prosecutor had demanded a light sentence of three to five years, but the judge decided to give Azaria far less than that in prison after Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu intervened personally.
The soldier also received one-year probation and a demotion in rank. His defense vowed to appeal and politicians from the right called for him to be pardoned.
A military court last month found Azaria guilty of manslaughter, a crime that carries a top punishment of 20 years in jail.
Last March 2016, Azaria was serving in the city of al-Khalil (Hebron) when two Palestinian young men allegedly carried out a stabbing attack.
One of the two Palestinians was shot dead by Israeli soldiers. The other, Abdul-Latif Ashareef, was shot and wounded. Eleven minutes later, as the wounded man, 21, was lying on the ground immobile and incapacitated, Azaria showed up and shot him cold-bloodedly in the head with an assault rifle.
Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the court’s sentence a farce saying that it is a form of discrimination against Palestinians. The normal sentence for such a crime reaches over 20 years, the ministry highlighted.
Head of Palestinian Prisoner Society Qadoura Fares opined that the light sentence urges Israeli soldiers to commit more crimes against Palestinians.
Issa Qaraqe, Head of Detainees and Ex-detainees Committee, said Israeli military courts are extremely racist and do not abide by humanitarian standards or even court just procedures.
For her part, member of the PLO executive committee Hanan Ashrawi said that Israeli judiciary follows a system of racism and extremism which is based on apartheid.
An Israeli military court convicted soldier Elor Azaria, of intentional killing of martyr Sharif on March 24, 2016 after he was shot and wounded for alleged stabbing attack carried out by Sharif and his friend martyr Ramzi al-Qasrawi.
Israeli military court gives killer of Palestinian lenient jail term
After one year of court hearings and deliberations, an Israeli military court sentenced Elor Azaria, a soldier who murdered in cold blood a Palestinian wounded young man, to only 18 months in jail, although he had already been convicted of intentional killing.
The Israeli prosecutor had demanded a light sentence of three to five years, but the judge decided to give Azaria far less than that in prison after Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu intervened personally.
The soldier also received one-year probation and a demotion in rank. His defense vowed to appeal and politicians from the right called for him to be pardoned.
A military court last month found Azaria guilty of manslaughter, a crime that carries a top punishment of 20 years in jail.
Last March 2016, Azaria was serving in the city of al-Khalil (Hebron) when two Palestinian young men allegedly carried out a stabbing attack.
One of the two Palestinians was shot dead by Israeli soldiers. The other, Abdul-Latif Ashareef, was shot and wounded. Eleven minutes later, as the wounded man, 21, was lying on the ground immobile and incapacitated, Azaria showed up and shot him cold-bloodedly in the head with an assault rifle.