You have just set the precedent for terrorists to go on a shooting spree - knowing full well that our soldiers will think twice before shooting them if they play neutralized. What a bad day for the justice system. Poor kid.

avenger of blood". His friend who was killed was like a brother and the soldier avenged the killing of his brother. This is acceptable in Scriptures which is why there were cities of refuge for a person who killed another to escape to since the "avenger of the blood" would kill him if he found the killer, even if the killing was accidental. The leaders of the city of refuge would determine if the killer should be turned over to the "avenger of the blood" and die or if he should remain in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest. The "avenger of the blood" would face no criminal sentence if the killing was in his rage before the facts of the case would have cleared the killer or not cleared him. If the courts in Israel were religious and inclined to the laws of haShem, this soldier would have been called "the avenger of the blood" of his brother and set free.

I am surprised so many reservists cannot understand the concept of following orders.
This was not a free fire zone, the terrorist had been subdued and was no longer a threat. You do not get to kill anyone of your choosing in the military, there are strict rules of engagement and laws to consider. Because it felt right is not a reason for an execution. This is the difference between a world class military like the IDF and a band of murderers like ISIS. Also the intelligence gathered from the perpetrator could possibly have prevented future terror activity or led to additional arrests.

The pictures of his family doting on him and the smirk on his face tell it all. He's a victim of an anti-semitic world. But the videotape tells a different story. I've seen film of Nazis doing what he did. In any court in the world he would have been convicted of second degree murder. The difference is out in the real world he would serve 10-20 years and in Israel he'll do maybe a year and then be let out to a hero's welcome. Israel only gave him this slap on the wrist because the video went viral in the court of world opinion. This didn't mesh with the image that Israel likes project. ie the fantasy of a bastion of democracy with the most moral army in the world. If there had been no video he would have never been charged.

Been following all along. Especially telling is the Talkback:. More than 2/3 seem to say "it was only an Arab, a Gentile" , "Azaria is a good jews boy why should his life be effected by this incident", "its jewish law, so what is the problem?"

Azaria's no hero or a martyr; he took the law into his own hands to be a "hero" to his clan... and those who think so are the ones rioting today.

G-d help the State of Israel when this mob takes control. Actually they already do control much of the political echelon... but not yet the IDF.

This decision is despicable on so many levels. Once again Israeli courts have come down on the side of Israel's bloodthirsty terrorist enemies. Once again our IDF soldiers are being legally handcuffed and discouraged from doing what any rational soldier should do to our enemies.

This situation should not come up in the first place. This is yet another form of trauma Israelis would be saved from by simply executing ALL "Palestinian" terrorists. There is no sane reason to keep them alive.

The Likud Government and Bibi have kept the Magavnik Ben Dery in prison or house arrest since October 2014 2 1/2 years for the crime of possibly having shot a terrorist who was trying to kill chayalim. Nobody in the Likud, Bayit Yehudi or Liberman has visited Ben or tried to help him. The IDF and Israel must stop abandoning its soldiers who risk their lives to defend Am Yisrael.

Elor Azaria and Ben Deri should be given an award

Am Yisrael Chai

So Israel was going to spend 125,000+ shekels a year to incarcerate the terrorist if he lived. Not spend the money on relieving poverty or food programs or education or hospitals. The terrorist would gladly kill again, or maybe attack a prison guard and kill him or injure him for life. Terrorists must know that by their actions, they forfeit their lives. You may slap this soldier's hand and put him in the brig for a couple months, but then release him and return him to active duty. He did what every sane human being would do: remove a lethal threat before he has the chance to strike again.

Dumb Jews, they believe they are sending a message to the world that they are a humane army, instead they just opened hundreds of lawsuits from terrorists and their pathetic families against the protectors of the nation. Fools can only do as fools.

I can't understand that, it's simply mental. Here the military is depended on its soldiers to protect our country and that's how they are treated?!?!? I would suggest all soldiers should go on strike ! This is the only solution which might help! And then they realize how much they depended on the cooperation from their precious soldiers!!!

the judges unanimously agreed that al-sharif was a terrorist. they also
unanimously agreed that the terrorist had stabbed members of the idf,
i.e, he had engaged in acts of terror.

there is little doubt that azaria shot the terrorist when the terrorist was presently already wounded.

it must be pointed out that the terrorist was not a member of any
legal armed forces. nor was he a civilian.

he was an illegal combatant, engaging in illegal combat.

it is well known that the president of the united states orders
the killing of illegal combatants and terrorists on a regular basis.
he does so even when there are civilians in the vicinity.

it is impossible to fight the terrorists if they are treated as if they
were part of the legal armed forces of a nation state

the implication of the judgement is that armies cannot fight
terrorists to win since they might kill wounded illegal combatants.
hence, the message sent to hamas and hezbollah is that
they will be spared in any future war.

all that said, this young soldier violated the rules of engagement.
violation of the rules of engagement does not equal manslaughter.

lastly, there is no doubt that the very special position of the jewish
state among the other nations results in decisions by the military
chiefs which are detrimental to the proper defence of the nation.