Liberman tells Azaria supporters to be quiet if they want to help him

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman tells supporters of Sgt. Elor Azaria, a soldier convicted of shooting dead a disarmed Palestinian assailant, they should “sit quietly and stop making noise and ruckus” if they really want to help him.

Last Wednesday, Azaria was found guilty of manslaughter, prompting outrage from his supporters. In the aftermath of the contentious trial, some of his backers have taken to social media to denounce and threaten IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and the judges who presided over the case.

Since the verdict came out, Liberman, who voiced support for Azaria before becoming defense minister last year, has called for Israelis to respect the court’s decision and asked the soldier’s attorneys to forgo an appeal, hinting that this would ensure Azaria received a lighter sentence.

“We all know that on the one side [of this case] there’s a decorated soldier and on the other there’s a terrorist who came to kill Jews,” Liberman writes on his Facebook page.

“We’re doing everything to guard both the values of the IDF and the soldier Azaria. Anything else only hurts,” he says.

— Judah Ari Gross