parade sees tributes to israeli soldier convicted of killing
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

With some even dressing up as him.

Parade sees tributes to Israeli soldier convicted of killing

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Parade sees tributes to Israeli soldier convicted of killing

A Jewish settler dressed in military fatigues wears a portrait of Elor Azaria
Hebron - Arab Today

Israeli settlers celebrating a Jewish holiday in the occupied West Bank Sunday paid tribute to a soldier who shot dead a wounded Palestinian assailant, with some even dressing up as him.

A parade in the city of Hebron for Purim, which sees participants dress up, began at the spot where the shooting which deeply divided Israeli society occurred on the same holiday last year.

The parade traditionally begins there, but this year it took on particular significance -- a prominent far-right lawyer dressed up as the soldier, Sgt. Elor Azaria, who has been convicted of manslaughter.

At least one other person also dressed up in tribute to Azaria, and a loudspeaker announcement as the parade began thanked the soldier, drawing cheers from some in the crowd.

The lawyer, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wore an army uniform with a picture of Azaria taped to his chest. 

He posed alongside Benzi Gopstein, who heads the far-right group Lehava and who dressed as US President Donald Trump, his hair dyed orange.

Ben-Gvir said their message was that Azaria would have been treated as a hero had the shooting occurred under a Trump presidency.

"It's not possible that a soldier kills a terrorist and he's judged and arrested, and it is simply a disgrace," the 40-year-old said.

Several hundred people took part in the parade in Hebron, where the presence of some 500 Israeli settlers in the heart of the city of some 200,000 Palestinians leads to near-constant tension.

Security was tight, with a large deployment of Israeli soldiers and police.

"I think it's very normal that people feel that he saved us from a terrorist who tried to kill us, and a lot of people support him," Tzipi Schlissel, 51, who lives down the street from where last year's incident occurred, said of Azaria.

"I think the terrorist who gets support from a lot of people in the world is an evil person that came to kill people, and he can't complain that he got killed when he came to kill other people," added Schlissel, who said her father was killed in an attack years ago.

- Party atmosphere -

Despite the tributes to Azaria, the parade was more celebration than politics, with children and adults dressed as everything from cartoon characters to clowns.

They paraded through a part of the flashpoint city under tight Israeli control, with checkpoints restricting access. 

Traditional and dance music blared from speakers, and some drank from whisky or wine bottles. One man leaned against on a tree and vomited.

A group of Palestinians watched from a terrace above at one point on the route, a Palestinian flag flapping in the wind above.  

Purim celebrates a story from Hebrew scripture in which the Jews of the Persian empire were rescued from annihilation. Every year, Jews celebrate by giving each other presents and wearing costumes.

The March 2016 shooting was caught on video and spread widely online.

It showed Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21, lying wounded on the ground, shot along with another Palestinian after the army said he stabbed and wounded a soldier.

Azaria then shot him in the head without any apparent provocation.

The soldier was sentenced by a military court on February 21 to 18 months in jail after an exceptional trial that highlighted deep divisions in public opinion.

He has appealed the conviction, but prosecutors have also appealed the sentence, calling it "excessively lenient".

A number of politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have called for Azaria to be pardoned, despite the military top brass strongly condemning the soldier's actions.

Palestinians have described the shooting as another example of the abuses under Israel's occupation.

A Palestinian operating a souvenir shop near where the parade passed expressed dismay when asked about the support being given to Azaria.

"It's not good that settlers support the soldiers who do these things," said Saddam Ali Jabari, 18.

Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

parade sees tributes to israeli soldier convicted of killing parade sees tributes to israeli soldier convicted of killing

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

parade sees tributes to israeli soldier convicted of killing parade sees tributes to israeli soldier convicted of killing

 



GMT 08:23 2017 Monday ,03 April

Tesla tops quarterly sales forecast

GMT 20:11 2017 Saturday ,25 March

Former head of Egypt’s syndicate submits appeal

GMT 05:28 2017 Sunday ,26 November

Gas exporters call for 'fair price'

GMT 10:51 2018 Tuesday ,11 December

Cloudy weather with rain showers forecast Tuesday

GMT 20:00 2017 Monday ,25 September

Tourism minister leaves for France to attend Top Resa

GMT 22:07 2017 Tuesday ,02 May

UAE soldier martyred in Yemen

GMT 00:25 2017 Sunday ,10 September

Philippines Sees the Bloodiest

GMT 20:21 2017 Wednesday ,08 November

Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry met members of Congress in US

GMT 09:31 2017 Monday ,16 October

Dalal Abdel Aziz happy for “Seventh Neighbor”

GMT 18:16 2017 Monday ,25 December

Sharjah Ruler issues Emiri Decree on SGMB functions

GMT 13:16 2017 Sunday ,15 October

Qatari sheikh says assets frozen over Gulf crisis

GMT 12:50 2017 Saturday ,11 November

ICC prosecutor calls for Afghanistan war crimes probe

GMT 13:28 2012 Friday ,17 February

NYT\'s Anthony Shadid dies in Syria

GMT 16:44 2017 Friday ,01 September

Al-Bashir to partake in OIC Summit in Kazakhstan
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday