Defense, prosecution in Azaria case fail to reach compromise

The prosecution and defense attorneys in the Sgt. Elor Azaria case have failed to reach a compromise during the court-ordered mediation process.

A statement from the army says “substantial gaps” remained between Azaria’s defense attorney Yoram Sheftel and the IDF’s chief prosecutor, Col. Sharon Zagagi Pinchas.

Azaria was convicted of manslaughter earlier this year and sentenced to 18 months in prison in for shooting dead a disarmed and wounded Palestinian assailant in the West Bank city of Hebron last year.

Both sides appealed, with the defense appealing the conviction, and the prosecution seeking a more extensive sentence.

Last week, the Chief Judge Zvi Segal urged the two sides to “rise above” the enmity heard in the course of the contentious trial and attempt to resolve both sides’ appeals without the need for a judicial ruling.