Elor Azaria Accuses: “The commander told me to pick up the terrorist’s head”

Soldier Eli Azaria who is accused of shooting wounded terrorist Abed el Fatach A-Sharif in Hevron appeared this week in the Yaffo military court and told his side of events for the first time. He accused his commanding officer and others in the security establishment.

“A the time of the action, the second communication tells me and I jump with all my equipment, including medical equipment and communication device. I don’t understand at all what’s going on. I’m told ‘there was an attack; someone was stabbed.’ I run to the scene see the soldier, the company commander sees me and tells me to take care of the wounded soldier,” he answers the questions of prosecutors Eyal Besserglick, Ilan Katz and Karmit Schhebar.

Azaria related that this was his first experience with a wounded person. “At the scene there were policemen, people from the local Jewish community in Hevron and a number of soldiers. I see that the soldier has two wounds. While I am applying pressure on the wounds, I asked him, `What’s happening? I tried to calm him down. After the ambulances came, `There suddenly was shouting, screams at the scene, `Carefuly, evidently he has an explosive device; don’t let him get us.’ Until then I hadn’t understood that there was another terrorist. I look at him and see he has a puffed up black coat on him, as if he was hiding something next to him.” Azaria later identified the knife that was near him.

“While I’m looking in the direction of the wounded soldier, I heard the intelligence warning of a quality attack. I understand that it could be this incident that is being talked about. The terrorist moved his hands and head and then his legs were moving. I went to take my helmet, thinking about the information about a quality attack and once again see the terrorist moving his hand, and evidently this is the attack we were told about. I take my weapon, give the helmet to the person who was next to me and cock my weapon. I shout `move’, aim, and shoot a bullet at the terrorist’s head from a distance of 17 meters. I neutralize him in order to save the lives of those in the area.”

Azaria criticized the actions of the commanders at the scene, including Company Commander Tom Neeman. “The company commander stood above the terrorist, spoke into the communication device, doesn’t see what’s happening on the scene. Complete tranquility of the commanders; not how one would expect from commanders. The moment I realize and understand the danger, I act. I deliberate for 2-3 seconds before shooting, realize I have no choice and shoot a bullet in his head.” According to Azaria, there were enough signs that this could be another attack, and he had the ability to stop it. “In the field, there is no time to talk. One second you’re alive, next second you’re dead. I see blood in the chest area and on the floor of the terrorist in black. I realize that he has been shot one or more times, and I was afraid that he would set off an explosive device or use a knife.”

Following the shooting, Azaria was asked to take away the terrorist’s body. “The company commander told me ‘Good luck. Pick up the terrorist’s brain,” he testified, and explains that he was shocked by this. Later he said that two civilians thanked him for shooting the terrorist. Later, at the army position, Azaria revealed, “The company commander told me, ‘Let’s keep this between us; if they come to us, we’ll see.” When he found out that he was to be brought to judgment for the incident, according to Azaria, the company commander told him, “You know I love you.”

“I feel that my commanders are traitors to me,” Azaria said. “I’m trying to explain but they don’t let me explain. The regiment commander hears only half of what the company commander says and when I explain to the regiment commander he doesn’t listen, just attacks. The Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff hear what they hear and come out with a condemnation. I feel that I’ve been made a sacrifice to clean up the army, without understanding the truth of what happened. This way I have lost all my faith in both my commanders and the heads of the IDF. I feel like I’ve been thrown to the dogs because the media saw a one-sided video.” In addition, he related to the claim that he said, “The terrorist deserves to die.” “To the best of my recollection I never said this, and if I did, it was taken out of context.”

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