Protesters Clash Outside Court As Israeli Soldier Convicted In Death Of Palestinian Man

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Sgt. Elor Azaria was convicted of manslaughter for the March killing of a Palestinian attacker in the West Bank.

Amir Cohen / Reuters

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a military court in Israel Wednesday to protest the manslaughter verdict that a soldier received for killing a Palestinian man.

Sgt. Elor Azaria was caught on camera fatally shooting a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank in March.

Azaria, 20, was charged with manslaughter following the incident and the case has polarized Israel since.

On Wednesday, military judge Col. Maya Heller convicted Azaria and said: “Azaria acted coldly and with calculation, took his time clearing people. This does not work with acting toward immediate danger.”

“The fact that the man on the ground was a terrorist does not justify a disproportionate response.”

A screengrab from the video showing the shooting.

B’Tselem / Via youtube.com

The large crowd of protesters clashed with police outside the court as the verdict was handed down. Some journalists covering the case said they were attacked, the Associated Press reported.

And inside the courtroom, one of Azaria's relatives was thrown out, while a second relative stormed out as the verdict was delivered.

A young woman called the verdict a disgrace and screamed, “the Israeli military is over!”, before she was thrown out of the courtroom. Another woman screamed, “disgusting leftists!”, and stormed out, according to AP.

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