Ya’alon rejects criticism from Azaria judges

Moshe Ya’alon rejects the rebuke he received from the judges presiding over the Elor Azaria case, who said he had interfered by making public statements about the issue before the trial was complete.

Ya’alon, who was defense minister at the time of the incident, says all his remarks were made with approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“To the prime minister, to the IDF chief of staff and to me it was clear, following the initial investigation, that this incident was out of the ordinary,” he says.

“Therefore, in a joint statement, we commented [on the case] a few hours after the incident in order to prevent people from using it as proof of the Palestinian blood libel.”

Speaking at a conference, Ya’alon praises the army for the 18-month sentence handed down earlier today.

He says Azaria and his family were pawns in a game played by “special interest parties” that caused deep divisions in Israeli society.