Israeli Settler Charged Over Killing of Oscar-Nominated Palestinian Activist in West Bank

Sun Sep 06 2026 06:55:22 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A settler faces reckless manslaughter charges after shooting a Palestinian activist, marking the first indictment of its kind in years amid rising West Bank violence.

Israeli prosecutors have formally charged settler Yinon Levy with reckless manslaughter, armed trespassing and malicious property damage after he fired a gun at Odeh Hathaleen, a teacher and activist who appeared in the award‑winning documentary No Other Land. The indictment, filed by the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office, is the first time a settler has been indicted for killing a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank since the 2023 Hamas offensive. Human‑rights group B’Tselem called the case a turning point against the long‑standing impunity that fuels settler violence. The shooting occurred during a confrontation over an excavator operation in the village of Umm al‑Khair, an incident widely shared online. The case comes amid reports that over 1,110 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank since the Gaza war, while about 41 Israelis have died in the area. Levy, who has been sanctioned by the UK and briefly by the US, denied firing the shot and now faces a potential prison sentence that critics say should be more severe.

Israeli Settler Charged Over Killing of Oscar‑Nominated Palestinian Activist in West Bank

Israeli prosecutors have formalised charges against settler Yinon Levy, citing reckless manslaughter, armed trespassing and malicious property damage following the July 2025 shooting that killed Palestinian teacher and activist Odeh Hathaleen. Hathaleen, who appeared in the Academy‑Award winning documentary No Other Land, was shot by Levy while the settlers operated an excavator in the village of Umm al‑Khair.

The indictment is historic, being the first time in almost three years that a settler has been indicted for killing a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank. B’Tselem, an Israeli rights group, said the case could signal a turning point against the long‑standing “impunity” law that fuels settler violence.

Levy, who has been sanctioned by the UK in 2024 for “using physical aggression … to displace Palestinian communities,” denied responsible for the fatal shot. In a letter seen by the Associated Press, he vowed to fight the charges and accused the prosecutors of “de‑facto support for terrorism” and said the case was a “mistaken decision.” His lawyer also criticised the decision, calling it a mistake.

According to the indictment, Levy fired a gun at the village residents during a confrontation, hitting Hathaleen, and then fired a second shot into the air. Video footage of the incident has circulated widely online, adding to the public scrutiny of the case.

The shooting memorialises a period of heightened settler aggression that accelerated following the October 7 2023 Hamas‑led attack on southern Israel and the subsequent Gaza war. The U.N. reports that from July 2023 to July 2025, at least 1,110 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank, with 41 Israelis dead in the same period due to clashes with Palestinian groups or civilians.

“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 accelerate,” B’Tselem said in a statement on the indictment.

Israeli‑American activist Mattan Berner‑Kadish, who was on site during the incident, told the BBC that the reaction was “mixed” but he was “pleasantly surprised and happy” that there might be consequences. He urged for a murder charge and a longer maximum sentence.

The case underscores a growing international and domestic pressure on Israel to deliver justice where settler violence intersects with the long‑running Palestinian right to self‑determination, especially after the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that allowed the demolition of homes in the Masafer Yatta area.

For more details, watch the BBC’s coverage of the incident at BBC coverage of Odeh Hathaleen.