An Israeli soldier was found guilty on Wednesday of manslaughter for the killing of a wounded Palestinian assailant as part of a months-long trial that riled Israeli society. The judges, who excoriated the defence's arguments for more than two hours, said there was no dispute that the soldier's bullet had killed the 21-year-old Palestinian man and that he had died "needlessly." The soldier, who could face up to 20 years in jail, will be sentenced at a later date. His defence team plans to file an appeal, the Ynet news portal reported. Right-wing Education Minister Naftali Bennett was one of several lawmakers who called for the soldier to be pardoned and slammed the entire trial as "contaminated," according to Haaretz newspaper. At the centre of the trial is the March 24 shooting of Fatah al-Sharif as he lay overpowered on the ground, which was filmed by activists for the Israeli B'Tselem human rights group. Al-Sharif and another Palestinian his age were shot when they lunged at an Israeli soldier guarding a West Bank checkpoint in Hebron. In the video, the two Palestinians can be seen lying on the road, while the injured soldier is being rolled into an ambulance. A combat medic, later identified as Elor Azaria, is seen raising and aiming his rifle, then a shot is heard. The Palestinian's head jolts, and he has what seems to be a fresh head wound. The defendant has claimed that he believed al-Sharif was wearing a bomb belt, but prosecutors cited "contradictions" in his testimony. The judges criticized his testimony as "evolving and evasive." Some 20 witnesses, several of them fellow soldiers, testified on behalf of the prosecution. Security was on high alert outside the army's Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv where the court had convened.
