On Wednesday, a military “halfway” committee will hear arguments regarding the release of the soldier Elazar Azaria, who shot and killed a terrorist in Hebron after the latter no longer posed a danger. Azaria was sentenced to 14 months in prison. The military prosecution opposes his immediate release, but does not object to a reduction of his sentence by a third.
The “halfway” committee is used only in military courts, dealing with convicted soldiers who have served half their sentence. Traditionally, the military prosecution rarely agrees that the soldier be released after serving only half his sentence. It is more likely that the prosecution will agree to reduce the sentence by a third for good behavior, which means Azaria would go home in May.
Last September, Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot reduced Azaria’s sentence by four months – against the recommendation of the Military Advocate General, Brig. Gen. Sharon Afek. Azaria began serving his 10-month sentence on August 10, 2017.