Israeli prosecutors charge settler with killing Palestinian activist in
rare indictment
[August 07, 2026]
By JULIA FRANKEL
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli prosecutors Thursday charged a settler for the
killing of a Palestinian activist last year in the occupied West Bank,
according to an indictment filed in a district court in southern Israel.
It's the first time since Oct. 7, 2023, that an Israeli has been
indicted for killing a Palestinian in the West Bank, said Israeli rights
group B'Tselem.
In the document, state attorneys accuse Yinon Levi, a settler who lives
in an outpost in the southern West Bank, of reckless manslaughter in the
death of prominent Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in July 2025.
Under Israeli law, reckless manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of
12 years in prison.
Levi is also accused of armed trespassing and malicious property damage.
Hathaleen was a prominent community leader who advocated against settler
violence in the southern West Bank. He was involved in the 2025
Oscar-winning film “No Other Land,” which chronicled the fight by
Palestinian residents to protect their homes and villages.
Activist's family, lawyer hope for change as settler vows to fight
back
“I hope that it will be a turning point for more severe enforcement of
the law in the West Bank against Jewish terrorists,” said Eitan Peleg,
the lawyer for Hathaleen’s family.
Tariq Hathaleen, Awdah’s cousin and lifelong friend, said that while the
indictment won’t bring his relative back, the family “still believes
this is something really, really big. It’s good for the settlers to
learn that they shouldn’t shoot at us.”
Levi on Thursday wrote back to prosecutors saying he would fight for his
innocence in court, according to a letter he shared with The Associated
Press. He wrote that prosecutors should not penalize acts of
self-defense, accusing them of providing “de facto support for
terrorism.”
When reached by phone, Avichay Hajbi, Levi's lawyer, said the
prosecution had made a “mistaken decision.” He said the defense would
respond to the accusations in court.
A spokesperson for the prosecutors’ office confirmed that the indictment
had been filed in the city of Beersheba and that Levi is not currently
under arrest. She said a meeting will be scheduled in the coming weeks
where prosecutors will read Levi the charges against him.
Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinians in
the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, says B’Tselem.
“The decision to indict Yinon Levi is the exception that proves the
rule. The impunity Israel grants to soldiers and settlers who harm
Palestinians is not a failure of the system — it is a central component
of a policy designed to allow the violence to continue and escalate,”
wrote Yair Dvir, spokesperson for B’Tselem.
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Yinon Levi works on his farm in the South Hebron Hills, West Bank,
May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)
Footage of the attack shows settler firing shots
The indictment comes just over a year after Hathaleen’s death.
Video from the day showed Levi shooting in the direction of
buildings and a group of Palestinians in Hathaleen’s village, Umm
al-Khair, on the day the activist was killed.
One video showed Levi firing two shots, while another, which family
members say was taken by Hathaleen himself, showed Levi firing
toward the person holding the camera. The footage cuts, but the
person can still be heard moaning in pain.
The indictment, issued by Israel's Southern District Prosecutor’s
Office, says that the first shot Levi fired struck Hathaleen, who
was standing in a courtyard 20 meters (about 65 feet) away,
documenting the scene. The bullet punctured Hathaleen’s lung and
chest, and he collapsed to the floor and started bleeding.
He was already dead when he arrived at the hospital, the indictment
says, after going into hypovolemic shock and respiratory failure.
Hathaleen was a teacher and father who often hosted international
activists and visitors in his home.
Levi was among the Israeli settlers sanctioned by the United States
and other Western countries over allegations of violence toward
Palestinians in 2024. U.S. President Donald Trump lifted the U.S.
sanctions after taking office the following year.
Levi has been seen roaming lands near the village of Umm Al-Khair
multiple times since the shooting, residents told the AP. They said
they continue to experience near-daily intrusions by settlers living
in outposts and settlements nearby.
Peleg, lawyer for the Hathaleen family, credited the indictment to
the strength of the video evidence against Levi and perseverance.
“We were in my office, applying constant pressure on the police and
the district attorney,” he said. “We didn’t leave them to do what
they wanted.”
___
Associated Press writer Koral Saeed contributed to this report from
Herzliya, Israel.
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