'I did the right thing': soldier jailed for killing incapacitated Palestinian

“I am at peace with what I did. I acted properly and followed my inner truth. I did the right thing and this affair shouldn't have become what it did. I have no remorse whatsoever.”

Al-Sharif was shot six times and had been subdued after stabbing an IDF soldier. Eleven minutes passed before Azaria shot him to death.

During his trial it emerged that Azaria had told a colleague that he believed Al-Sharif “deserved to die”.

The killing occurred amid a wave of attacks by Palestinians that had killed 29 Israelis over the preceding five months.

Military chiefs came under fire from the Israeli right-wing for criticising Azaria’s actions, as Azaria’s trial divided the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly telephoned the former soldier’s parents to offer his support, and later called for him to be pardoned.

During his interview with Israel Hayom Azaria thanked the Israeli public, saying the support he received during his trial was “heart-warming”.