Israeli president pardons soldier convicted for killing wounded Palestinian

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has pardoned former soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting a wounded Palestinian man, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, in Hebron in 2016. The pardon erases Azaria's criminal record, more than a decade after the incident, which was captured on camera and sparked outrage in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The killing was deemed an "extrajudicial execution" by the Palestinian foreign ministry and a violation of the army's ethics code by the Israeli military. Herzog's office cited Azaria's remorse and the need for a fresh start as reasons for the pardon, which he granted in line with the significance of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

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