By Associated Press - Monday, February 20, 2017

JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli army says a military court on Tuesday will sentence a soldier convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting a wounded Palestinian assailant.

Sgt. Elor Azaria faces a maximum sentence of 20 years, though analysts expect him to receive less than that.

The rare manslaughter conviction of a soldier last month deeply divided Israel, where military service is compulsory and support for young soldiers is widespread.



It is rare for a military court to rule against a soldier over lethal action taken in the field, not only in Israel but elsewhere in the world.

The military court verdict against Azaria marked a victory for commanders seeking to preserve a code of ethics. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and prominent hard-line politicians have called for the soldier to be pardoned.

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