Israel charges West Bank settler over death of renowned Palestinian activist

Israeli prosecutors have charged a Jewish settler over the killing of a Palestinian community leader in the occupied West Bank last year – the ⁠first such indictment in nearly three years.In papers filed by the state attorney’s office, Yinon Levi is charged with reckless manslaughter in the death of Awdah Hathaleen, a prominent ⁠activist who was involved in the 2025 Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.The charges against Levi also include armed trespassing and malicious property damage during a July 2025 incident in which settlers operated ⁠a large excavator in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, setting off a confrontation with residents.Hathaleen filmed the moment ​he was shot during the confrontation. Footage released by ‌the Israeli rights group B’Tselem shows ‌Levi draw a weapon and fire in Hathaleen’s direction. Hathaleen is then heard moaning as he falls to ‌the ground.Palestinian activist recorded moment he was killed by settler in West Bank – videoLevi, whom the UK and EU have placed under sanctions over violence against Palestinians, has previously denied firing the shot that killed Hathaleen. Reuters was not able to reach his lawyer for comment.Thursday’s indictment is the first since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks that set off Israel’s war in Gaza and led to a sharp rise in settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, B’Tselem said.Israeli soldiers and settlers have since killed at least 1,100 Palestinians in the West Bank, among them at least 240 children, according to UN data.“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,” B’Tselem said.Israel’s military says it investigates instances of wrongdoing by its soldiers and that it and the Israeli police take steps ⁠to crack down on settler violence.Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have settled among millions ​of Palestinians in land that Israel ​captured in a 1967 war, and which ​Palestinians seek as the core of an independent future state.UN bodies, Palestinians and most countries ​view the settlements as illegal ‌under international conventions ​and a major obstacle to ​peace. Israel disputes that view, saying a Jewish presence has existed in the West Bank for thousands of years.Eighteen Palestinians have been killed in incidents linked to settler attacks so far this year, compared with 17 in the whole of 2025, according to UN figures.