Israeli president pardons soldier who killed incapacitated Palestinian attacker

Israel's President granted a pardon Saturday to a former soldier who gunned down a Palestinian attacker in 2016 after he had already been incapacitated by troops in the West Bank city of Hebron.

Elor Azaria had been freed from prison in May 2018 after serving nine months behind bars, half his original sentence, for the manslaughter of Abdul Fatah al-Sharif.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he "decided to grant the request of Elor Azaria to erase the remaining period of his criminal record and continue with his life."

"President Herzog has decided that the circumstances, the length of time passed, and the sorrow Azaria expressed justify enabling him to be allowed to begin a new chapter in his life," a statement from Herzog's office read.

The decision was made in the spirit of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement that begins on Sunday evening, it added.

Azaria, a sergeant and military medic at the time of the incident, shot al-Sharif in the head.

The Palestinian had stabbed and wounded a soldier but had already been shot by Israeli troops and had lain on the ground for about 11 minutes before Azaria fired the fatal shot.

The soldier had said in his trial that he feared Sharif was wearing an explosive belt and could blow himself up, a claim judges rejected.

The court case captivated Israel and highlighted deep divisions in public opinion between those who denounced the shooting, including senior army officers, and others who said it was justified, including many right-wing politicians. The short sentence he served also drew criticism.

In July, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir addressed a letter to Herzog saying the army opposed Azaria's request to expunge his criminal record.

"The position is based on several considerations, including the fact that the applicant has refrained from expressing remorse and taking responsibility for his actions, even a decade after his conviction," Zamir wrote.

Firebrand National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir welcomed the pardon Saturday. "As someone who demonstrated a decade ago for Elor Azaria, the cancellation of the criminal record of someone who eliminated a terrorist is deeply moving and joyful for me," he wrote on X.

"This record should never have existed in the first place, if the rules of engagement had been different," he wrote, and urged President Herzog to also grant a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is standing trial for corruption.