Israel cuts Elor Azaria's sentence by four months

Israel's military chief of staff has reduced the sentence of a soldier convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead a severely wounded Palestinian, a decision denounced by Palestinian leaders as a "license to kill without any accountability".

The move to cut Elor Azaria's sentence from 18 to 14 months was announced on Wednesday, about 18 months after he shot a bullet from close range into the head of 21-year-old Abdel al-Fattah al-Sharif.

"Despite the fact that it is clear from the words of the chief of staff that Azaria's actions were contrary to the code of conduct and to the values of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) ... he decided to do so out of consideration of the fact that he is a combat soldier and a warrior" who had "endured a lot", Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said.

But human rights groups and Palestinian leaders, who had already slammed the 18-month sentence as "extremely lenient", said Wednesday's decision was further proof that for Israelis, "Palestinian lives mean nothing to them".

UCJ, UNILORIN.