Israeli soldier who killed Palestinian attacker sentenced to 18 months

Feb. 21 (UPI) -- A judge on Tuesday sentenced Israeli Sgt. Elor Azaria, convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting an immobilized knife-wielding Palestinian attacker in the head, to 18 months in a military prison.

The head judge, Col. Maya Heller, said Azaria will be demoted to the rank of private and also faces 12 months of probation following his prison sentence. In considering sentencing, Heller said the court took mitigating circumstances into account such as how the incident occurred "in hostile territory," but added that Azaria did not express remorse for his actions.

Azaria faced up to 20 years in prison. The incident, part of which was recorded on video, occurred in the West Bank's occupied city of Hebron on March 24 after 21-year-old Palestinians Abdul Fatah al-Sharif and Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi stabbed and injured an Israeli soldier as part of a wider outbreak of attacks that killed more than 42 people since September 2015.

Israeli troops opened fire, killing Qasrawi and wounding Sharif, who was seen alive in footage filmed by another Palestinian that was later released by the B'Tselem Israeli human rights group. Azaria is then seen cocking his rifle and shooting a single-bullet into Sharif's head, which was ruled as the official cause of death.

Azaria "violated the rules of engagement without operational justification as the terrorist was lying on the ground wounded and represented no immediate threat for the accused or others who were present," prosecutors said.

Azaria argued Sharif posed a threat because he believed the Palestinian attacker had on an explosive suicide belt. A three-member military judge panel, including Heller, ruled unanimously in January to find Azaria guilty of manslaughter and improper conduct. Prosecutors said Azaria acted out of revenge.