Israeli Defense Minister Katz Requests Presidential Pardon for Elor Azaria

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz submitted a formal request to President Isaac Herzog on July 14, 2026, seeking a pardon and expungement of the criminal record for Elor Azaria, a former soldier convicted of manslaughter. The request specifically seeks to erase Azaria's criminal record entirely, rather than simply reducing his sentence. This marks the third pardon attempt on Azaria's behalf; a previous request by then-Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman was rejected by then-President Reuven Rivlin in November 2017, and another was submitted in 2022 but never fully actualized.

President Herzog's office confirmed receiving Katz's pardon request and stated it is awaiting additional required opinions from the IDF Chief of Staff, Military Advocate General, and Personnel Directorate chief before proceeding. The Israeli military opposes the pardon request, stating it should not be granted.

Azaria was convicted of manslaughter on January 4, 2017, for killing Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, an incapacitated Palestinian man, in Hebron on March 24, 2016. The shooting occurred approximately 11 minutes after al-Sharif had been shot and subdued following an alleged stabbing attack on Israeli soldiers. Azaria was originally sentenced to 18 months in prison; his sentence was subsequently commuted to 14 months by then-IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and a military parole board further trimmed the sentence, resulting in Azaria serving approximately nine months and being released in May 2018.

Azaria has never expressed remorse for his actions and has always insisted he behaved correctly. He has also participated in protests supporting soldiers accused of beating Palestinian suspects.

Defense Minister Katz argued that requiring soldiers to pay a heavy price for actions in combat sends a negative message to those serving in dangerous conditions, and described Azaria as an outstanding soldier with no prior criminal record. Azaria himself cited the passage of time since the incident and stated that his criminal record makes it difficult for him to integrate into society and the workforce.

The IDF's stated reasons for opposing the pardon include Azaria's failure to express remorse nearly a decade after conviction, the absence of new circumstances justifying a change from prior presidential decisions, and the absence of concrete personal circumstances of significant weight.

Center-right Israeli outlet The Times of Israel reported that the pardon request came ahead of the Likud party's primaries and an upcoming national election, with political analyst Gayil Talshir suggesting the Azaria case could be used as a political card by Netanyahu. The outlet also noted that the request has renewed attention on former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who oversaw Azaria's prosecution and whose decision was criticized by the far right; Eisenkot is now a political figure leading Netanyahu in polls as preferred premier.

The Times of Israel also reported that the Biden administration placed a visa ban on Azaria in 2024, citing efforts to promote accountability for acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli extremists. The outlet characterized the 2016 incident as having exposed deep rifts in Israeli society over the army's activities in the West Bank.

Left-leaning outlet Middle East Eye contextualized the pardon request by noting it came less than three months after the Israeli army approved the return to duty of soldiers accused of torturing and raping a Palestinian detainee, framing the request within broader concerns about alleged impunity for Israeli soldiers accused of abusing Palestinian detainees.