The family of Sgt. Elor Azaria were tense as they entered the courtroom on the Kirya military headquarters to hear the verdict in the case of their son Wednesday. The soldier's mother, Oshra Azaria, wept and leaned on her husband for support. Azaria was greeted with applause and embraces as he entered the courtroom, and sat between his mother and one of her friends. As the guilty verdict was read out (a process that took two and a half hours), the Azaria family and their friends showed their pain and anger. One woman shouted "Disgusting leftists!" and left the room. Another woman was escorted out after she yelled: "My son in Military Intelligence won't be going to his army service tomorrow!" Oshra Azaria burst into tears and shouted, "This game was fixed!" After the verdict, Azaria's parents and family chose to return to their home in Ramle, where they were visited by a stream of relatives, friends, and supporters. The family later put out a message saying: "The family is staying home to take in the verdict and decide what steps to take next in both the legal and public spheres. The family thanks the public who stood by it in the fateful hours, and is taking encouragement and empowerment from the great love that is being heaped on it." According to relatives, Azaria's parents have started consultations with his defense team and others on what their next step should be. "There is a possibility of starting to work on public pressure for a pardon before the sentencing, despite the legal process that a pardon request can be submitted only after the sentencing and all the other stages, including an appeal, have been completed," a relative said. Friends of the Azaria family stressed that their fight was far from over, and they would continue to work "so Elor won't spend a single day in prison."
