Netanyahu’s empathy for Hebron shooter reveals a lot about Israel
The support by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his party members for the IDF soldier convicted of manslaughter in Hebron demonstrates the moral decline of the Likud.
Knesset member Nava Boker (Likud) was present in the Military Appeals Court on July 30, when it discussed the appeal submitted by Elor Azaria, sentenced to 18 months in prison for manslaughter. Her presence there underscored in a disturbingly clear way the moral and ethical low point that the Likud has reached. In January, Azaria was convicted of killing a neutralized terrorist in Hebron in March 2016. Yet Boker made a point of calling him "the son of every one of us," just moments before the court rejected his appeal.
Boker may hold the title of deputy speaker of the Knesset, but she is hardly a major political figure or even a senior member of her party. Still, her embrace of Azaria is an expression of the overall mood within the Likud; it also reflects the attitude of its leader, Likud Chairman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Nor was Boker the only member of the Likud who felt confident enough to cast aspersion on an unequivocal legal ruling, which determined that Azaria acted out of a desire for vengeance. Knesset member Oren Hazan (Likud) also made an appearance at the hearing, tweeting from there, "Only in Israel would an outstanding warrior, who eliminated a despicable terrorist determined to spill Jewish blood, be convicted of murder like a felon and be sent to jail."
When the prime minister himself shows empathy for an event that runs counter to the underlying principles of Israeli society, he is showing his support for Knesset members like Boker and Hazan, who are trying to turn a soldier who went astray into a hero.
