Local television stations frequently showed images of Sergeant Azaria’s distraught parents hugging him in court. Appealing to public sentiment in a country blighted by wars and terrorism, and where most Jewish 18-year-olds are conscripted for up to 32 months of military service, his supporters portrayed him as “everybody’s child.”
In remarks recorded before the verdict, the military’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, tried to puncture that narrative. “An 18-year-old in the Israeli Army is not ‘everybody’s child,’ ” he said. “He is a fighter, a soldier who must dedicate his life to carry out the tasks we give him. We cannot be confused about this.The court's decision took over two hours to announce. It is unclear whether and when it will be available in English.
Postscript: Haaretz has posted an English translation of part of the ruling here. The complete official judgment, in Hebrew, can be found here.
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