Military appeals court opens hearings on Hebron soldier’s case

Appeals by the Hebron soldier Elor Azaria against his conviction for manslaughter and the prosecution’s against his light sentence, came before the military appeals court in Tel Aviv Wednesday. The soldier was sentenced to eighteen months jail and demotion to private by a military court for shooting dead an injured Palestinian in the course of a terrorist event in Hebron last year. The soldier rejected a plea bargain and decided to seek acquittal on the grounds that he acted properly in killing a terrorist and was therefore innocent. The prosecution seeks to increase the sentence to five to seven years in prison.