Israel’s president clears criminal record of soldier who killed wounded Palestinian

Israeli President Isaac Herzog cleared the criminal record Saturday of a former soldier convicted of killing a wounded Palestinian in the occupied West Bank more than a decade ago, despite the soldier having declined to express remorse, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

KAN said Herzog approved a request submitted by Defense Minister Israel Katz to erase the record of former soldier Elor Azaria, more than 10 years after the incident, and after he had served a prison sentence.

Herzog's office said the decision took into account "the time that had passed since the shooting and the fact that Azaria had completed his sentence," as well as an intention to allow him to "open a new chapter in his life."

It said Herzog also considered the circumstances faced by Azaria's family since the case began, adding that the decision was not intended to undermine or cast doubt on the judicial proceedings in the case.

The broadcaster quoted the Israeli army as saying Azaria "refrained from expressing remorse and taking responsibility for his actions."

Katz had asked Herzog in July to erase Azaria's criminal record, citing the passage of more than a decade since the incident and the completion of his prison sentence.

Katz welcomed Herzog's decision, saying it would allow Azaria to "open a new chapter."

The case dates to March 24, 2016, when Azaria, then an Israeli soldier, shot and killed Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank while al-Sharif lay wounded on the ground.

An Israeli military court convicted Azaria of manslaughter in January 2017 and later sentenced him to 18 months in prison. Then-Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot subsequently reduced the sentence by four months.

Azaria was released from prison in May 2018 after serving about nine months following a decision granting him early release.

The case triggered sharp divisions in Israel at the time, with senior military figures defending his prosecution, while politicians and public figures demanded that he be pardoned.