In A Rare Move, Israel Has Charged An Israeli Settler For Killing This Palestinian Activist Featured In “No Other Land”
This marks the first time that Israel has indicted a settler over the killing of a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank since 2019.
Israeli authorities have charged an Israeli settler with “reckless manslaughter” for shooting and killing Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen, who was featured and helped film in the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land.”
Hathaleen, a 31-year-old teacher and father of three, was an activist who spoke out against settler violence, particularly in Umm al-Khair, a Palestinian Bedouin village in Masafer Yatta in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to show them what life was like there.
In July 2025, Israeli settlers shot Hathaleen while they tried to move an excavator through Umm al-Khair to work on illegal Israeli settlements.
Palestinians in the village had coordinated with Israeli settlers to allow the excavator to pass, but witnesses on the ground said the excavator had run over and damaged water pipes and other infrastructure, according to Al Jazeera.
In a video shared by the Israeli co-director of “No Other Land”, Yuval Abraham, an Israeli settler later identified as Yinon Levi was seen manically firing a handgun as Palestinians tried to stop the destruction.
Hathaleen had been standing about 10 to 15 meters away from the incident when a bullet from Levi’s firearm struck him in the chest, according to Al Jazeera.
Hathaleen was taken to the hospital but later died from his wounds.
The US and EU had previously sanctioned Levi with an asset freeze and travel bans for his role in inciting violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Police have arrested Levi for reckless manslaughter and unlawful imprisonment but have placed him under house arrest.
On Thursday, Aug. 6, Israeli authorities filed an indictment against Levi in an Israeli court, charging him with reckless manslaughter, armed trespassing and malicious property damage.
Levi's lawyer called the charges mistaken and said he would contest them in court.
This marks the first time that Israel has indicted a settler over the killing of a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank since 2019, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din.
Sofia Hou
Cherry Mohamed
