Israeli army charges soldier for killing wounded Palestinian

[WhiteTara]

Source: Washington Post

JERUSALEM — An Israeli military court charged a soldier on Monday with manslaughter for last month’s fatal shooting of a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank, an incident caught on tape that has deeply divided the nation.

The soldier, a medic, Sgt. Elor Azaria, has also been charged with inappropriate military conduct. The shooting took place last month in Hebron, a West Bank city that has been a focal point of a seven-month wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Initially, the military had said two Palestinians stabbed and wounded a soldier before troops killed the pair. A video released later by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem showed one of the attackers, still alive and lying on the ground, before a soldier calmly raised his rifle, cocked his weapon and fired at the assailant’s head. An autopsy later determined the bullet to the head was the cause of death.

His attorney, Ilan Katz, said Azaria acted as expected from a combat soldier and would seek a full acquittal. It was not immediately clear what sentence the soldier faces, if convicted. Such indictments in the military are very rare, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israeli-army-says-it-discovered-tunnel-from-gaza-into-israel/2016/04/18/ef4ccf1e-053e-11e6-bfed-ef65dff5970d_story.html

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This is a rare event.

[Capt.Rocky300]

1. The video is pretty damning.......

For several minutes, the guy is lying on the ground, clearly alive but not a threat, with people walking around him. A soldier in the background suddenly raises his weapon with no one taking notice of it, takes aim and fires. The man's head jerks and the next thing is blood running down the street. This did not look like manslaughter to me, it was a cold blooded assignation.

[WhiteTara]

2. Yeah, his lawyer said he was in combat mode. nt

[Capt.Rocky300]

5. That's just it........

There was no firefight going on. Everyone was relatively calm and the situation was obviously under control at the time of the shooting. There was some pushing and shoving early on in the video but that was over with when the soldier took aim.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. Ambulances were picking up the wounded....

It was like this guy wanted to make sure the victim wouldn't get saved.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. it's only happening because it was caught on tape. watch the reactions of the other people

when the guy is lying on the ground and shot point blank, no reactions of horror. That tells me this is no isolated incident.

[WhiteTara]

4. Well, he was "just" a Palestinian!

Not my thought, but interpreting their response.

[Hulk]

6. Israel doesn't surprise me anymore.

With the likes of "the chained madman", netenyahu (sp), Israelis are always innocent, and Palestinians are the trash.

If the world quit watching this barbaric butcher, he would annihilate ALL of the Palestinians carelessly while he sips his morning tea.

And WE support this thug and his right wing fascist party.

[Akicita]

7. What do you think the chances are that the Palestinian Authority would charge a PA soldier

with manslaughter if he killed a wounded Israeli attacker who had just stabbed another PA soldier? Slim or none? Video or not. At least this jerk is being charged.

[Hulk]

9. ...and he'll get off scott free

..and hailed as another "hero".

Who is OUR ally here?

Also keep in mind, it wasn't a Palestinian soldier who murdered an Israeli criminal. Reality is worth considering from time to time.

[Akicita]

12. We'll see. Not sure many even among those who think he should not be punished would regard him as a

hero for shooting a wounded enemy. On the other hand the PA soldier in the same situation would get off scott free and would definitely be hailed as a hero by the Palestinians.

[Hulk]

29. Works both ways

Wouldn't be a bit surprised...too many recent examples with the right wingers.

[Scootaloo]

10. So because you imagine Palestinians woudl do worse, this is good enough.

Weird.

[Hulk]

11. Good point.

Seems just like the bush administration's supporters of torture. "They're doing it..."

[Akicita]

14. No. I am glad he was arrested and I hope justice is served.

[Scootaloo]

16. That's not the argument you actually made, though...

[Akicita]

17. Sure it is: "At least this jerk is being charged".

[Scootaloo]

18. Contrated with an imaginary "well the PA would be worse" scenario

And because your hypothesis os that "The PA would do worse" you lower the bar for what your expectations are in an actual real-life scenario.

[Akicita]

19. Didn't lower the bar on my expectation at all. I hope justice is served. I was just adding some

perspective. And I don't think it is imaginary that the PA scenario would be worse.

[joshcryer]

26. What more do you want?

Seems you both want more.

I can't think of a single instance where a PA officer was charged with a crime of any stripe.

[Scootaloo]

27. I want a logically consistent argument.

"I imagine X would be worse, so I lower my bar for the reality of Y" is not.

[joshcryer]

28. It's consistent to say "I want both to do better."

And there is nothing wrong for saying you don't expect it of one.

[Scootaloo]

31. Except one scenario is completely imaginary and untethered from the subject at hand

"I imagine X would do worse, so I give Y a pass for what it has actually done" is not a logical argument.

What the poster imagines - and it is purely hypothetical, imaginary - the PA would do in the same situation is not relevant to what israel is actually doing in an actual occurrence of that situation

[joshcryer]

32. I didn't say it was relevant.

It's perfectly consistent, however.

[WhiteTara]

13. the Israelis would kill him and his family

and bulldoze their house.

[Akicita]

15. Probably not his family and Iran would rebuild his house like they do for the suicde bombers.

I'm not even sure Israel would kill him and destroy his house since it was not a terrorist act. Probably arrest and try him like the Israeli soldier. Much more of a chance of a guilty verdict though.

[R Merm]

20. And then the PA would name a street or square for him as they do for the suicide bombers.

Bringing charges against him is the right thing to do.

[restorefreedom]

21. looks like bernie is right after all

nothing will change until we start treating the Palestinian people with respect and understanding of their suffering.

[Akicita]

22. That will still change nothing until the Palestinians and other nations are willing to do the

same to the Israeli people.

[restorefreedom]

23. the people struggling

are not the ones sending the bombs

terrorists have to be dealt with whatever their country of origin and that includes mistreatment by Israel. there will be no progress until the double standard is removed unfortunately.

[Crowman1979]

24. There will be no peace in the middle east with Likud, Hamas and Erdoğan in charge.

Just sayin!

[branford]

25. The Palestinian Authority is also hardly the epitome

of democracy, justice, transparency and human rights, particularly when the do things like name streets and celebrate Palestinians who kill Israeli and other civilians.

I would also not that peace was no closer in the region before the election of Likud and Erdoğan and Hamas' ascent of control in Gaza.

In fact, Likud came to power on the multitude of failures of the liberal Labour Party during the very bloody Second Intifada, and the Israeli left has since been politically decimated. Whether one likes it or not, the amount of Israeli blood shed under Likud dominance and measures like the security wall is demonstrably less than before, to say nothing of the fact that Likud under Sharon was the party that actually removed all settlers from Gaza.

[Hulk]

30. The Israeli apologists are quick to respond.

Last edited Tue Apr 19, 2016, 01:39 PM - Edit history (1)

He should be charged for murder and found guilty. All this other BS of excuses and "Hamas and the PA are worse" is nothing more than deflections from the injustice the Israeli government imposes on the people they have caged up outside their front door.
Always the same "apologists" come to their defense for their calloused crimes. Are they paid shills on these threads? Have to wonder.