Two Israelis arrested for calling for attacks on Azaria judges
Police see wave of online incitement against 3 members of military court after manslaughter conviction for soldier who killed incapacitated Palestinian assailant
A protester against the verdict in the Azaria trial holds up a sign outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on January 4, 2017, that calls IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot a 'dog' (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Police arrested two people Thursday morning on suspicion of calling for attacks against the three judges who convicted Sgt. Elor Azaria of manslaughter the day before.
Passions are running high after the judges, who sit on the Jaffa Military Court, ruled that Azaria’s deadly shooting of Palestinian stabber Abdel Fattah al-Sharif in Hebron in March amounted to manslaughter.
Azaria faces a sentencing hearing next week.
The three military judges, Col. Maya Heller, Lt. Col. Carmel Wahabi and Lt. Col. Yaron Sitbon, have been given special protection details by the IDF.
Police say they have seen a wave of incitement online against the judges.
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Elor Azaria, the Israeli soldier who shot a Palestinian terrorist in Hebron, in court room before the announcement of his verdict, January 4, 2017 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
A 54-year-old Jerusalem resident was arrested after posting a call for violence against the three judges on Facebook.
A 22-year-old woman from Kiryat Gat was arrested for a similar post in which she called on readers to attack the judges, including urging grenade attacks against the court’s chief judge, Heller.
The woman also shared other posters’ calls for violence, including calls for the judges to kill themselves. She wrote that “God will punish” Heller.
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She was released to house arrest on condition that she refrain from contacting Heller. She also agreed not to post on Facebook for 30 days.
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