Israeli soldier guilty of manslaughter

An Israeli soldier who shot dead a wounded and incapacitated Palestinian assailant in the occupied West Bank was convicted of manslaughter yesterday in one of the most divisive trials in Israel's history.

Despite a campaign by Azaria's family and rightist politicians criticising the armed forces for putting him on trial at a time of Palestinian street attacks, members of Israel's military establishment argued that shooting in violation of regulations could not be countenanced.

A three-judge military court rejected the 20-year-old conscript's arguments that he acted in self-defence.

The shooting was caught on video by a Palestinian rights activist, and the footage, distributed to news organisations, ensured the incident drew international attention.

Chief judge Colonel Maya Heller said Azaria shot the Palestinian out of revenge in March 2016 after the assailant stabbed and wounded a fellow soldier in the West Bank town of Hebron. "He deserves to die," Azaria was quoted in the verdict as telling another soldier, just after fatally shooting the Palestinian in the head as the man, who had been wounded minutes earlier by Israeli military gunfire, lay motionless in the street.

The manslaughter charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment.