Campaign aims to fund a newly formed organization set to provide legal assistance to Elor Azaria, others ‘caught in similar situations’
An online fundraising drive in support of an IDF soldier facing manslaughter charges for killing an incapacitated Palestinian assailant in March took in over NIS 300,000 (approximately $77,000) from some 2,200 contributors on Sunday, reaching over 75 percent of its stated goal of raising NIS 400,000 in just a few hours.
The campaign went live online on Sunday evening, asking for funds for a newly established Association for the Defense of IDF Soldiers, whose purpose, the campaign’s web page explained, was to provide “legal and communications assistance to warriors caught in situations” similar to that of Sgt. Elor Azaria.
The March 24 incident — during which Azaria was filmed shooting Palestinian assailant Abed al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif in the head, nearly 15 minutes after al-Sharif was shot during an attempt to stab an IDF soldier in Hebron — and the subsequent trial have deeply divided Israel.
Azaria was indicted on April 18 by the Jaffa Military Court.
In the face of strong condemnation of his actions by top military brass, then-defense minister Moshe Ya’alon, and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, far-right supporters and some politicians have accused the defense establishment of abandoning one of its own.
The campaign to help in Azaria’s legal defense, hosted on the crowdsourced fundraising site Headstart, urged supporters of the soldier to “join us in mobilizing to help Elor Azaria and his family.”
“We send our children to the army, but in the face of a crisis caused by a complex military operation, there is no system that helps them deal with the difficulties. No one offers assistance to the families or to the male and female warriors facing the crisis alone and the heavy costs involved in such instances,” read the campaign pitch.
“An appropriate legal defense is a basic human right, not to mention to a warrior who faced a terrorist and found himself in such a difficult situation during his mandatory military service,” it went on.
The pitch further argued that Israelis “could not stand by and leave Elor and his family without a defense” or “let bureaucracy and politics prevail over basic morals and values.”
The campaign repeated the defense argument, refuted by Azaria’s superiors, that the soldier acted in self-defense, and shot the wounded Sharif because he might have been wearing an explosive belt that he could have detonated.
The text was signed “Sharon,” likely former MK Sharon Gal of the Yisrael Beytenu party, who has become the family’s unofficial spokesman and media adviser. Gal left journalism last year to join Avigdor Liberman’s party before national elections but quit politics just five months after winning a Knesset seat. Gal, now back in journalism with the state-funded Channel 20, organized a rally for Azaria in Tel Aviv in April that drew in thousands of people.
The majority of those who contributed to the online campaign gave a minimum of NIS 50 (over 800 people), but at least 45 people gave some NIS 500, more than 30 gave NIS 1,000 or over and one person gave at least NIS 10,000.
Azaria’s case and the trial at the Jaffa Military Court have been deeply divisive.
Last week, military prosecutors trying the case were provided with security measures in the face of mounting threats and incitement to violence online by supporters of the soldier.
Four soldiers set to testify were also given unspecified protection after voicing concerns over their safety.
According to a Channel 2 report, the prosecutors were provided with a panic button on their phones should a need arise and were also briefed by security personnel on which situations to look out for and what initial action to take.
Liberman initially came out strongly in support of Azaria, but before assuming the post of defense minister in May, he promised not to interfere in the trial.
Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to publicly defend Azaria’s commander, Maj. Tom Na’aman, after he received threats and was vilified by far-right activists for his testimony against his subordinate.
Na’aman provided damning testimony against Azaria, saying al-Sharif posed no threat and that after the shooting Azaria told him: “This terrorist was alive and he had to die.”
In response to the online threats and attacks against Na’aman, Netanyahu said: “There is no place for such inappropriate hyperbole.
“I call on everyone to calm the tone and leave the IDF out of politics. We need to protect the army as it protects us,” the prime minister added.
The Israel Police detained an Israeli settler last month for allegedly inciting violence against Na’aman.
Also last week, Azaria’s brigade commander told the military court that he saw no justification for the shooting, and rejected the soldier’s claim that the troops were concerned the attacker may have been carrying a bomb.
Colonel Yariv Ben Ezra told the court that contrary to Azaria’s claims, he found no reason to suspect Sharif was armed with explosives.
Ben Ezra told the military tribunal that he didn’t consider the shooting justified. “Also in light of the investigation and initial debriefing in the field, and as all these details came together during the day, my assessment is that the shooting wasn’t justified,” he said.
Azaria was released this past weekend for his first furlough since his arrest.
As reported by The Times of Israel