- Title: Violence erupts outside Israeli military court ahead of shooting case verdict
- Date: 4th January 2017
- Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (JANUARY 4, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SCUFFLES OUTSIDE COURT AHEAD OF EXPECTED VERDICT IN HEBRON SHOOTING CASE/WOMAN FAINTING SUPPORTERS OF CHARGED SOLDIER DEMONSTRATING OUTSIDE COURT ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) NICOLE PARNASA, SUPPORTER OF ISRAELI SOLDIER ELOR AZARIA, SAYING: "I think it's a scandal that the country don't protect about their soldiers. I think that this soldier came to protect about little children, about families, about parents. This guy (referring to the Palestinian assailant) came to do an attack, to hurt about these families. This soldier is a hero." (SOUNDBITE) (English) FAR RIGHT SETTLER ACTIVIST BARUCH MARZEL SAYING: "He is innocent, he is a hero, he has to get a prize from the army. But the minute the chief of staff and the minister of defence were against him, they elect the judges, they tell the judges what to decide, and he didn't have any hope." MORE OF AZARIA SUPPORTERS DEMONSTRATING
- Embargoed: 19th January 2017 09:41
- Keywords: Israel Palestinians Soldier Court Demonstration
- Location: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
- City: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0015XNZ96V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Scuffles erupted on Wednesday (January 4) as hundreds demonstrated outside an Israeli military court which was set to hand down its verdict in a divisive shooting case.
The incident took place as several hundreds of supporters gathered to protest against an expected conviction of Sergeant Elor Azaria, 20, who was charged with manslaughter in killing of a Palestinian assailant which he shot dead as he lay wounded and motionless on the ground after attempting to stab an Israeli soldier in the West Bank city of Hebron last March.
The shooting, and the tense moments leading up to it, were captured on video by a Palestinian human rights activist in the city of Hebron. The video footage, distributed to news organisations, ensured that the incident, which came amid a wave of Palestinian stabbings, drew international attention.
The case has divided Israel, with many citizens, right-wing politicians and some celebrities rallying behind Azaria, saying he is being made a scapegoat and should be let off lightly.
His actions, they say, were justified by the barrage of Palestinian violence and the general atmosphere of alarm in Hebron, a city where hundreds of Israeli settlers, under heavy army protection, live among some 200,000 Palestinians.
On the other side stand serving members of the military establishment, who say the shooting cannot be countenanced, that Azaria, who made far-right, anti-Palestinian postings on Facebook before being conscripted, acted in cold blood and outside military procedures.
Demonstrator Nicole Parnasa, who came to support Azaria outside the court room on Wednesday, said his trial was a 'scandal' and Azaria was a hero.
"I think it's a scandal that the country don't protect about their soldiers. I think that this soldier came to protect about little children, about families, about parents. This guy (referring to the Palestinian assailant) came to do an attack, to hurt about these families. This soldier is a hero," she said.
Israeli far right settler activist Baruch Marzel, who also arrived to show his support for Azaria, said he should have received 'a prize from the army'.
The manslaughter charge can carry a jail term of up to 20 years, although legal commentators have suggested a sentence of four to five years is more likely if he is found guilty.
Ahead of the verdict, family members and supporters have declared that the trial cannot have been fair because of the public outcry and debate the case has provoked. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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