Panic button installed on phones of those involved in case amid mounting threats; defendant gets first weekend furlough
Military prosecutors trying the case of an IDF soldier facing manslaughter charges for killing an incapacitated Palestinian assailant in March have been 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 in the case of Elor Azaria, who was indicted on April 18 by the Jaffa Military Court, were also given unspecified protection after voicing concerns over their safety, Channel 2 TV reported on Thursday.
According to the 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.
The March 24 incident — during which Azaria was filmed shooting 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.
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.
Azaria’s attorneys claim he acted in self-defense, citing the possibility that the wounded Sharif had been wearing an explosive belt that he could have detonated.
Avigdor 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.
Earlier this 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, who has been imprisoned on a military base, is set to go home this weekend for his first furlough since his arrest.
As reported by The Times of Israel