Security boosted around IDF court ahead of Hebron shooting verdict

The verdict in the trial of IDF Sgt. Elor Azaria, who is charged with manslaughter over the shooting of a subdued terrorist in Hebron in March 2016, will be delivered at the court at IDF headquarters on Wednesday morning, about nine months after the incident. Large numbers of Military Police, Israel Police and Border Police forces were deployed on adjacent Kaplan and Begin streets early in the morning due to concern that planned demonstrations may get out of control after the verdict is announced. Two days ahead of the verdict, it was announced that the lead judge in the case, Col. Maya Heller, was appointed as a judge in the IDF court of appeals. Less than a day before the court's decision, the IDF chief of staff, Lieut. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, chose to comment publicly regarding the case, saying "An 18-year-old who is inducted into the IDF is not everybody's child, but a soldier."