Israel indicts settler in rare charge over Palestinian activist’s killing

What the report says

Israeli prosecutors have indicted settler Yinon Levi in connection with the killing of Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen, in what Al Jazeera described as an unusually rare charge against an Israeli over the death of a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank. The indictment, filed in an Israeli district court, accuses Levi of reckless manslaughter, armed trespassing and malicious property damage.

According to the report, Hathaleen was killed in July 2025 in the village of Umm al-Khair, after settlers brought excavators to the area to clear land for a new outpost and a confrontation followed. Hathaleen, a 31-year-old teacher and father of three, had also worked on the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. Video cited in the article showed Levi firing toward a crowd, while a Palestinian rights investigation cited by Al Jazeera said the evidence matched Levi’s handgun and did not support a self-defence claim.

Levi’s lawyer said the charges were wrong and would be challenged in court. The article also notes that Levi had previously faced sanctions from the UK and European Union over settler violence, while US sanctions were later lifted. Human rights groups quoted in the report said the case highlights long-running impunity around settler and soldier violence in the West Bank.

The indictment comes amid broader concern over rising settler attacks in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023, a backdrop that makes the case significant beyond the individual killing.