Topline: A decade after Elor Azaria shot a wounded, unarmed Palestinian attacker, Israel’s president has granted clemency without revisiting the court’s findings.
Published: September 21, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Randy Shaw
I cut my teeth in journalism when I began looking into what I saw as abuses of power in my local government. From then on, I was hooked on the dopamine rush of uncovering information.
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JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — President Isaac Herzog pardoned former combat medic Elor Azaria on September 19, a decade after he fatally shot a wounded Palestinian attacker lying unarmed on the ground.
The decision followed Defense Minister Israel Katz’s recommendation, according to Associated Press reporting published by News4JAX. Azaria was convicted of manslaughter for killing Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank.
Al-Sharif had stabbed a soldier before being wounded. Cellphone footage showed Azaria approaching and shooting him in the head at close range.
Azaria received an 18-month sentence. AP reported that he was released after serving two-thirds of his sentence; Herzog’s office noted that the military chief had shortened it. Some Palestinians and human rights groups considered the punishment too lenient.
Senior generals pushed for conviction, an unusual military-court outcome for a soldier’s battlefield actions. Public support for Azaria included demonstrations outside his trial, in a country where most Jewish men must serve in the military. After release, he said in an interview that he would act the same way again.
In its September 19 statement, Herzog’s office described shortening the period before Azaria’s criminal record is expunged. It cited elapsed time, completed punishment, employment barriers, changed family circumstances and the approaching Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement.
The office also cited regret expressed by Azaria, now a father of two, and family medical difficulties. It said an earlier clemency request acknowledged the shooting as an operational mistake when viewed retrospectively. Herzog stressed that clemency was not an appeal or a reconsideration of the court proceedings.
Katz welcomed the decision and emphasized the mission’s complexity. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated the removal of Azaria’s criminal record.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Israel Pardons Elor Azaria After Manslaughter Conviction in Filmed Shooting
A decade after Elor Azaria shot a wounded, unarmed Palestinian attacker, Israel’s president has granted clemency without revisiting the court’s findings.
By Randy Shaw
Published: September 21, 2026 10:04 pm ET
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — President Isaac Herzog pardoned former combat medic Elor Azaria on September 19, a decade after he fatally shot a wounded Palestinian attacker lying unarmed on the ground.
The decision followed Defense Minister Israel Katz’s recommendation, according to Associated Press reporting published by News4JAX. Azaria was convicted of manslaughter for killing Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank.
Al-Sharif had stabbed a soldier before being wounded. Cellphone footage showed Azaria approaching and shooting him in the head at close range.
Azaria received an 18-month sentence. AP reported that he was released after serving two-thirds of his sentence; Herzog’s office noted that the military chief had shortened it. Some Palestinians and human rights groups considered the punishment too lenient.
Senior generals pushed for conviction, an unusual military-court outcome for a soldier’s battlefield actions. Public support for Azaria included demonstrations outside his trial, in a country where most Jewish men must serve in the military. After release, he said in an interview that he would act the same way again.
In its September 19 statement, Herzog’s office described shortening the period before Azaria’s criminal record is expunged. It cited elapsed time, completed punishment, employment barriers, changed family circumstances and the approaching Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement.
The office also cited regret expressed by Azaria, now a father of two, and family medical difficulties. It said an earlier clemency request acknowledged the shooting as an operational mistake when viewed retrospectively. Herzog stressed that clemency was not an appeal or a reconsideration of the court proceedings.
Katz welcomed the decision and emphasized the mission’s complexity. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated the removal of Azaria’s criminal record.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Israel Pardons Elor Azaria After Manslaughter Conviction in Filmed Shooting
A decade after Elor Azaria shot a wounded, unarmed Palestinian attacker, Israel’s president has granted clemency without revisiting the court’s findings.
By Randy Shaw
Published: September 21, 2026 10:04 pm ET
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — President Isaac Herzog pardoned former combat medic Elor Azaria on September 19, a decade after he fatally shot a wounded Palestinian attacker lying unarmed on the ground.
The decision followed Defense Minister Israel Katz’s recommendation, according to Associated Press reporting published by News4JAX. Azaria was convicted of manslaughter for killing Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank.
Al-Sharif had stabbed a soldier before being wounded. Cellphone footage showed Azaria approaching and shooting him in the head at close range.
Azaria received an 18-month sentence. AP reported that he was released after serving two-thirds of his sentence; Herzog’s office noted that the military chief had shortened it. Some Palestinians and human rights groups considered the punishment too lenient.
Senior generals pushed for conviction, an unusual military-court outcome for a soldier’s battlefield actions. Public support for Azaria included demonstrations outside his trial, in a country where most Jewish men must serve in the military. After release, he said in an interview that he would act the same way again.
In its September 19 statement, Herzog’s office described shortening the period before Azaria’s criminal record is expunged. It cited elapsed time, completed punishment, employment barriers, changed family circumstances and the approaching Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement.
The office also cited regret expressed by Azaria, now a father of two, and family medical difficulties. It said an earlier clemency request acknowledged the shooting as an operational mistake when viewed retrospectively. Herzog stressed that clemency was not an appeal or a reconsideration of the court proceedings.
Katz welcomed the decision and emphasized the mission’s complexity. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated the removal of Azaria’s criminal record.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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