Israeli official slams US sanctioning of Elor Azaria as ‘politically motivated’
Decision to designate ex-soldier who was convicted and served time for killing wounded assailant eight years ago conveys lack of trust in Israeli justice system, official tells ToI
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The US decision to sanction a former IDF soldier jailed for killing a Palestinian attacker in 2016 was politically motivated, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Thursday.
Elor Azaria’s designation was part of the Biden administration’s broader effort to promote accountability for repeated acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli extremists who have long enjoyed overwhelming impunity.
The targeting of Azaria surprised Israel, as the crime he committed took place eight years ago and because he was tried and convicted in a military court, according to the Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“We’ve always been told that the policy of the US is based on the need for Israel to hold [violent extremists] accountable,” the official said. “Meaning, as long as Israel deals with this issue on its own, the US won’t have to act.”
“But in the case of Elor Azaria, we’re talking about an incident that happened eight years ago. He was tried. He served time in prison. He was demoted to the rank of private, and he was dealt with by the Israeli justice system.”
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller explained Wednesday that unlike the visa restrictions policy Secretary of State Antony Blinken rolled out in December and the executive order President Joe Biden signed in February, Azaria was designated under a separate 2020 law that directs the secretary of state to impose a visa ban on foreign government officials who have committed gross violations of human rights.
The visa ban for such individuals is imposed regardless of whether accountability measures have been taken against them by authorities from their respective countries, Miller said.
Pressed on why the administration was making this designation eight years after the fact, the State Department spokesperson said his office has been “taking a broad look over the past few months at increased violence in the West Bank” and taking “accountability measures” amid the acceleration of settler attacks since October 7.
But the Israeli official speaking to The Times of Israel was not convinced.
“The decision to sanction Azaria at this specific time conveys a lack of trust in the Israeli justice system, contrary to everything that the administration is telling Israel,” said the official, apparently referencing the pressure that Biden has been under from progressives critical of Israel as the presidential election approaches.
“I can only conclude that this decision was motivated by domestic political considerations,” the Israeli official added.
The 2016 incident revealed deep divisions in Israeli society over the army’s activities in the West Bank, with some — mostly on the right — arguing Azaria behaved heroically in killing the Palestinian assailant, while others said he had broken the law and deserved a harsher sentence than he received.
Azaria received 18 months but only served nine of them.
Several months after his release he said in an interview that he had no regrets about the incident and he has gone on to protest in support of soldiers accused of beating Palestinian suspects.
