Sharif's funeral
Photo: Reuters
Neutralized terrorist shot by Elor Azaria buried amidst cries for revenge
Abed al Fatah Al-Sharif, shot dead while immobilized by an IDF soldier currently on trial for manslaughter, was laid to rest in Hebron, draped in a Hamas flag; Azaria's family: 'Outrageous, disturbing and sad'
Abed al Fatah al-Sharif, the neutralized terrorist who was shot dead by Sgt. Elor Azaria two months ago, was buried in Hebron on Saturday afternoon. His corpse had been returned to the Palestinians on Friday night. Doctors at Hebron's Al Ahli Hospital checked the body.
On Friday, Sharif's family had requested the city's denizens to come en masse to Saturday's funeral procession, and hundreds of people indeed showed up. Sharif's body, wrapped in a Hamas flag, was carried through the street, and some in the crowd cried out for revenge against Israel for his killing.
Sharif's funeral procession
Sharif's funeral procession (Photo: Reuters)
Sharif's killing caused a large public outcry after the video of Azaria shooting him, recorded by B'Tselem, went public. The video shows the Israeli soldier shooting dead an immobilized Sharif, who had been apprehended carrying out a stabbing attack on other soldiers.
On Monday, Azaria's lawyer responded to the charges against his client. In response to the indictment, he wrote, "The accused acted in a fraction of a second to neutralize a terrorist and to prevent injury to himself and to his comrades-in-arms, who were standing close to the terrorist. He did not see another possible manner to save his life and their lives. The accused admits that his shooting may have caused the terrorist's death, but it certainly caused his neutralization."
Mourners over Sharif (Photo: Reuters)
Said Erdan, "The terrorists' families lied to the High Court of Justice after they promised to meet the police's requirement, and it's a shame that the High Court believed them and pressured the police to return the bodies before Ramadan."
