Israel charges settler over killing of Palestinian involved in Oscar-winning West Bank film

What the report says

Israeli prosecutors have charged settler Yinon Levy with reckless manslaughter over the killing of Palestinian activist Odeh Hathaleen in the occupied West Bank, according to Israel’s Southern District Prosecutor’s Office. The BBC reported that the charges also include armed trespassing and malicious property damage linked to the July 2025 confrontation in Umm al-Khair, where settlers were operating an excavator and residents gathered amid the dispute.

Prosecutors say Levy fired in the direction of residents during the altercation and struck Hathaleen, who later became widely known as a teacher, father of three and a prominent critic of settler violence. Hathaleen also helped film the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, which follows Palestinian legal battles over Masafer Yatta, a West Bank area facing demolition and displacement orders.

The case has drawn attention because Israeli rights group B’Tselem says it is the first indictment of an Israeli for killing a Palestinian in the West Bank in nearly three years. A lawyer for Hathaleen’s family said they hoped the move would mark a turning point, while Levy and his lawyer have denied wrongdoing and said they will contest the case. Separately, UK and US sanctions against Levy had previously highlighted allegations of violence and intimidation toward Palestinian communities, though he has denied those claims. The indictment comes amid a wider rise in West Bank violence since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the ensuing Gaza war.