Israeli prosecutors have charged a settler with reckless manslaughter over the killing of a Palestinian activist in the occupied West Bank who had helped film the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land." Yinon Levy was charged in connection with the July 2025 shooting of Odeh Hathaleen, according to Israel's Southern District Prosecutor's Office.
What the Indictment Alleges
The charges against Levy also include armed trespassing and malicious property damage stemming from an incident in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, where settlers were operating an excavator when a confrontation broke out with residents. According to the indictment, Levy cocked his gun during the confrontation and fired in the direction of residents, hitting Hathaleen, before firing a second shot into the air. Footage of the incident was shared widely online. Levy has previously denied firing the shot that killed Hathaleen, and in a letter seen by the Associated Press he said he would fight the charges in court, arguing that prosecutors should not penalize what he described as acts of self-defense and accusing them of providing "de facto support for terrorism." His lawyer, Avichai Hajbi, told the AP that the prosecution had made a "mistaken decision."
A Rare Prosecution, Rights Group Says
Israeli rights organization B'Tselem said the indictment marks the first time in nearly three years that an Israeli has been charged over the killing of a Palestinian in the West Bank. It is also the first such indictment since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza and was followed by a rise in settler violence in the West Bank, according to B'Tselem. The group described the case as "the exception that proves the rule," arguing that the broader impunity granted to soldiers and settlers who harm Palestinians "is not a failure of the system" but rather "a central component of a policy designed to allow the violence to continue and escalate."
The Toll Since October 2023
The United Nations has recorded at least 1,110 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank since October 2023, while at least 41 Israelis have been killed by a Palestinian armed group or civilian in the West Bank over the same period, according to UN figures.