Herzog pardons soldier who killed subdued Palestinian stabber in 2016, against IDF position
President's decision nixes Elor Azaria's criminal record 6 years early, removing employment roadblocks; his case divided Israel, and he has defended his actions The post Herzog pardons soldier who killed subdued Palestinian stabber in 2016, against IDF position appeared first on The Times of Israel .
Israeli President Isaac Herzog pardoned former soldier Elor Azaria on Saturday, clearing his criminal record for the 2016 incident in which Azaria killed a wounded Palestinian in the West Bank town of Hebron. The soldier's request for expungement was submitted by Defense Minister Israel Katz in July. Despite opposition from the Israeli army, which noted that Azaria had shown no remorse or accepted responsibility for his actions, Herzog expedited the process, effectively erasing the remaining period of Azaria's sentence.
Azaria served nine months in prison after his conviction in 2017, with the remainder of his sentence being reduced by the parole committee. In 2024, the Biden administration barred Azaria and his family from entering the United States, citing his involvement in what it described as a "gross violation of human rights" - an extrajudicial killing of a wounded Palestinian.
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