Israeli President Pardons Ex-Soldier Over Killing of Incapacitated Palestinian, tell me about this news in (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/19/world/middleeast/israel-pardon-azaria.html)
20-09-2026
On September 19, 2026, Israeli President Isaac Herzog granted a pardon to former Israeli army combat medic Elor Azaria, wiping his criminal conviction from the record six years earlier than the standard statutory timeline.
UA.NEWSKey Details of the DecisionThe Pardon: Herzog approved Azaria’s request to expunge his criminal record, which was not slated to be automatically cleared until 2032. The decision removes long-standing barriers to employment and civil status.
The Times of IsraelTiming and Justification: The presidency announced the move shortly before Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement). Herzog’s office cited the decade that had passed since the shooting, the fact that Azaria had already completed his prison sentence, and statements of remorse and adherence to the IDF’s ethical code submitted by Azaria. Herzog stressed that the pardon is an act of clemency and compassion rather than an appellate reversal of the original military court findings.
UA.NEWS+ 2Political and Military Reactions: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz strongly backed and recommended the pardon, calling it a humane decision allowing Azaria to rebuild his life. However, reports indicated that top military officials, including the IDF Chief of Staff, had previously voiced opposition to granting the pardon, viewing the original trial as a crucial defense of military ethics and the “purity of arms”.
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The 2016 Incident: In March 2016, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif attacked and wounded an Israeli soldier before being shot and subdued. Approximately 11 minutes later, while al-Sharif lay incapacitated and unarmed on the street, Azaria shot him in the head at close range.
The Times of IsraelVideo Footage and Backlash: The incident was captured on video by a Palestinian volunteer for the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, sparking international condemnation and setting off intense debate and political polarization inside Israel between those who condemned the shooting as an extrajudicial execution and those on the right who defended Azaria’s actions.
The Times of IsraelConviction and Sentence: Azaria was convicted of manslaughter by a military court in 2017 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. After sentence reductions by military leadership and parole, he served nine months before his release in 2018.
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