Israeli convicted of killing a Palestinian to be extradited from Brazil
Yehoshua Elitzur was charged ten years ago with shooting a Palestinian driver that he claimed tried to run him over.
By JACOB GOFF KLEINUpdated: AUGUST 10, 2017 19:05passport 298(photo credit: ariel jerozolimski)
An Israeli who fled to Brazil to escape charges of manslaughter, will be extradited to serve his sentence in his home country.Yehoshua Elitzur, an Israeli-German citizen was charged in 2004 with shooting a Palestinian driver that he claimed tried to run him over. According to Hebrew news site Hamodia, Elitzur was arrested by Brazilian police and Interpol in 2015 and has requested to stand trial in Israel.The attorney representing Elitzur claims the Brazilian courts responded positively to the request.According to the indictment, the Palestinian who had been shot, al-Shatiya, was a taxi driver working on Route 557, a road that passes by Elitzur's settlement. Elitzur stood in the middle of the road with an M-16 demanding Sael pull over and leave his car. Al-Shatiya pulled over farther down the road than the spot originally demanded by Elitzur and then Elitzur shot at the vehicle, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.Elitzur claimed that he shot in self-defense because al-Shatiya's driving forced Elitzur off the road and onto the shoulder. However, this claim has not been supported by eye witness testimonies.Elitzur received a charge of manslaughter and not murder because the prosecutor could not prove that Elitzur intended to kill al-Shatiya when he shot at the vehicle.Elitzur was sentenced by an Israeli court to 20 years in prison for manslaughter in 2005 when he disappeared, triggering a global manhunt. He was able to utilize his German passport and forge documents to successfully board an airplane out of Israel. He was caught ten years later in Sao Paolo, Brazil at his hideout, a kosher restaurant in the city.He is now expected to serve his sentence in Israel.
