Today’s Top Stories
1. A military court convicted an IDF soldier of manslaughter in an incident that continues to polarize Israeli society. Sgt. Elor Azaria shot and killed an already injured and disarmed Palestinian who had attacked Israeli soldiers in Hebron. A second Palestinian assailant was killed in the fight.
Rejecting inconsistencies in Azaria’s account, the judges ruled that Azaria violated rules of engagement and needlessly shot Abdel Fattah al-Sharif. Sentencing is expected to take place several weeks from now. Azaria’s family says it will appeal the verdict.
The shooting, which was caught on video, has touched a nerve with Israelis on many levels: namely the political fallout, the perception Israelis have of the IDF and its soldiers, and the implications vis a vis the Palestinians and the wider court of international public opinion.
Take your pick of Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, YNet or Haaretz coverage.
International criminal court prosecutor also watching case as sign of credibility israeli legal system.
— Yonah Jeremy Bob (@jeremybob1) January 4, 2017
2. Reuters: With Arab states scaling back aid to the Palestinian Authority, the PA “is expected to run a budget deficit of 4.12 billion shekels in 2017 ($1.06 billion), approaching 15 percent of gross domestic product.”
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3. A former PA minister of prisoner affairs voiced praise for Israel’s independent police and judiciary for investigating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on suspicion of graft. The Jerusalem Post took note of Dr. Sufian Abu Zaida wistfully wishing the Palestinian Authority had the same accountability:
Abu Zaida’s column citing the differences between Israel and the PA comes amid signs that Abbas is deploying the judiciary against political opponents and has veered towards one-man rule.
Netanyahu faces another round of police questioning over valuable gifts he may have improperly received from two businessmen.
In the News
• The Temple Mount situation is still nuts:
Islamic authorities managing the Temple Mount attempted to have a veteran Israeli archaeologist ejected from the Jerusalem flashpoint holy site on Sunday for using the term “Temple Mount” in a lecture to American students. Waqf guards brought him to Israeli police at the site to complain, and the police, while saying there were no legal grounds to eject him, advised him to refrain from using the phrase “Temple Mount” for the rest of the group’s visit.
• Elite IDF officer succumbed to wounds from Gaza war. Maj. Hagai Ben Ari, who was in a coma for two and half years, is survived by a wife and three children.
HEARTBREAKING: Maj. Hagai Ben-Ari, who was critically wounded during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, has passed away. pic.twitter.com/M9X3uPvyZw
— Leibel A Mangel (@LeibelAMangel) January 3, 2017
• Vandals deface Cincinnati rabbinical school with swastika graffiti.
Commentary/Analysis
• Zvi Bar’el nails the conundrum of free media in the Arab world — or at least in Lebanon, where one paper has closed and others face an uncertain financial future:
While censorship rules in Lebanon are among the most flexible in the Middle East, and officially freedom of expression is part of the country’s liberal tradition, the dependence on sponsors and political parties imposes a heavy level of self-censorship. This neutralizes the ability of the media to be truly free.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Don Futterman: The Israeli left should endorse moving the US embassy to Jerusalem
– Aaron David Miller: Is two-state solution dead? (click via Google News)
– Barbara Kay: It should’ve been obvious that Obama favoured Arabs over Israel
– The Australian (staff-ed): Showing our support for Israel
– Michael Makovsky: Five ways for Trump to put Tehran on notice (click via Google News)
Featured image: CC BY-SA Tom Woodward with additions by HonestReporting;
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Original article can be viewed at Israeli Soldier Convicted of Manslaughter on HonestReporting.