IDF says it opposes request from Hebron shooter Elor Azaria to shorten record: ‘He has not expressed remorse’

The Israeli military says it does not support a request by former soldier Elor Azaria, convicted of killing an incapacitated Palestinian attacker in 2016, to shorten the duration of his criminal record, saying that he has never expressed remorse for his actions.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa say that “the request should not be granted,” in a letter sent to the defense minister’s office, signed by Zamir’s assistant, Col. Alon Laniado.

“By law, the general rule is that a criminal record shall accompany the convicted individual in accordance with the prescribed timeframes, whereas granting a pardon is the exception, to be applied only under exceptional and weighty circumstances,” the letter reads.

The letter states that Zamir and Bar Kalifa’s position on the matter is based on the opinion of the deputy military advocate general, “who is in charge of applications of this type, and which relies on several considerations, including the fact that the applicant has refrained from expressing remorse and taking responsibility for his actions, even nearly a decade after his conviction in the military court; the absence of new circumstances justifying a change from previous decisions of the president; as well as the absence of concrete personal circumstances of significant weight.”

A formal opinion by the military has not yet been received by the office of President Isaac Herzog.