Soldier who killed Palestinian freed for Passover

By Anees Bargouthi

JERUSALEM

The Israeli soldier who shot and killed an alleged Palestinian attacker in Hebron last month will spend the Passover Jewish holiday with his family, Israeli media reported Friday.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronot newspaper said Elor Azariya, 20, was released Friday and will spend three days with his family in Ramle. He is expected to return to open detention on Sunday, the newspaper reported.

Just this week, an Israeli military court charged Azariya with manslaughter instead of murder for killing Abdul-Fattah el-Sharif after he was injured and disarmed.

The Israeli army, meanwhile, has detained scores of Palestinians during overnight raids in occupied East Jerusalem, a security source said.

The source, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity because he is unauthorized to speak to the media, said Israeli forces arrested 20 Palestinians from Jerusalem’s Old City.

The Israeli army also said it has closed off the occupied West Bank for three days during Passover. Entering and exiting the West Bank will be forbidden for Palestinians from Friday until Sunday night.