"Sending Elor Azaria to prison for his crime sends an important message about reigning in excessive use of force," said Sari Bashi, Israel and Palestine Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch. "But senior Israeli officials should also repudiate the shoot-to-kill rhetoric that too many of them have promoted, even when there is no imminent threat of death. Pardoning Azaria or reducing his punishment would only encourage impunity for unlawfully taking the life of another person."