Elor Azaria releases a statement responding to a report that the Israel Police have denied him a gun license, calling the move “another stab in the back and spit in the face.”
Azaria was released in May after serving nine months of what was initially an 18-month prison term for killing Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, a Palestinian who had earlier stabbed an Israeli soldier and had already been shot and subdued.
Azaria claims he applied for permission to own a gun after threats had been made against him due to the 2016 Hebron shooting incident.
“Today, when I read the news, I came across a story that just out of nowhere, without any warning, the police decided to respond to deny my request, saying that ‘there is no danger to life or to my family,'” he writes.
According to the Ynet news website, police in their decision said Azaria did not meet the criteria to carry a firearm and could pose a threat to public safety.
Azaria wonders why he is allowed to be armed as a reserve duty soldier, but not as a civilian.
“After everything I have given and endured for the sake of the security of our country, (this ordeal) hurts and is tearing me from the inside,” he adds.
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
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