'I did the right thing': soldier jailed for killing incapacitated Palestinian

Elor Azaria, the Israeli soldier who was jailed for killing an incapacitated Palestinian assailant in Hebron, has said he would do it again.

The former IDF sergeant was released in May after serving nine months of an initial 14-month prison sentence, which was reduced twice.

Azaria was found guilty of manslaughter after shooting dead 21-year-old knifeman Abdul Fatah al-Sharif in March 2016.

Speaking to Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, he said: “I have no doubt. Bring me back to those same seconds of the incident in Hebron – I would have done exactly the same thing, because that is what needed to be done.

“I am at peace with what I did. I acted properly and followed my inner truth. I did the right thing and this affair shouldn't have become what it did. I have no remorse whatsoever.”

Al-Sharif was shot six times and had been subdued after stabbing an IDF soldier. Eleven minutes passed before Azaria shot him to death.

During his trial it emerged that Azaria had told a colleague that he believed Al-Sharif “deserved to die”.

The killing occurred amid a wave of attacks by Palestinians that had killed 29 Israelis over the preceding five months.

Military chiefs came under fire from the Israeli right-wing for criticising Azaria’s actions, as Azaria’s trial divided the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly telephoned the former soldier’s parents to offer his support, and later called for him to be pardoned.

During his interview with Israel Hayom Azaria thanked the Israeli public, saying the support he received during his trial was “heart-warming”.