Military Court Rejects Jail Delay for Israeli Manslaughter Soldier
An Israeli military court has refused to postpone the imprisonment of a soldier sentenced to 18 months for killing a wounded Palestinian and he will be jailed this week, the army said Monday.
Elor Azaria had applied on Sunday for a delay to his prison term.
"His request was rejected and he will be incarcerated as planned on Wednesday in the military prison of Tzrifin" south of Tel Aviv, an army spokesman told AFP.
On July 30, a military court rejected Azaria's appeal against his conviction for manslaughter and upheld the prison term.
Azaria is expected to present himself to the authorities on Wednesday to begin serving his sentence.
The March 2016 shooting in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron was caught on video by a rights group and spread widely online.
It showed Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21, lying wounded on the ground, shot along with another Palestinian after stabbing and wounding a soldier, according to the army.
Azaria then shot him in the head without any apparent provocation.
He said he feared Sharif was wearing an explosive belt and could blow himself up, a claim judges rejected.
A number of Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have spoken out in favor of him being pardoned.
Source: Agence France Presse
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