Israel President pardons soldier who shot wounded Palestinian attacker dead in West Bank

Elor Azaria’s conviction in 2017 for manslaughter and his release drew enormous attention in Israel. (AP Photo) Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has pardoned former combat medic Elor Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a badly wounded Palestinian attacker in the occupied West Bank nearly a decade ago.According to the Associated Press, Azaria had shot Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in the head as he lay unarmed and badly injured on the ground in Hebron after stabbing an Israeli soldier. The incident, captured on a cellphone video, sparked intense debate in Israel.Azaria was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was released after serving two-thirds of his sentence. In his first interview after his release, Azaria said he would act in the same way again, saying that was how he “needed to act.”Herzog’s office said the president granted the pardon following a recommendation from Defence Minister Israel Katz. The decision took into account the time that had passed since the incident and the approaching Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, among other factors.Katz called the pardon a “right, humane, and fitting decision” and said Azaria had been involved i...