JERUSALEM (AP) 鈥� 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 鈥淣o Other Land,鈥� 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
鈥淚 hope that it will be a turning point for more severe enforcement of the law in the West Bank against Jewish terrorists,鈥� said Eitan Peleg, the lawyer for Hathaleen鈥檚 family.
Tariq Hathaleen, Awdah鈥檚 cousin and lifelong friend, said that while the indictment won鈥檛 bring his relative back, the family 鈥渟till believes this is something really, really big. It鈥檚 good for the settlers to learn that they shouldn鈥檛 shoot at us.鈥�
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 鈥渄e facto support for terrorism.鈥�
When reached by phone, Avichay Hajbi, Levi’s lawyer, said the prosecution had made a 鈥渕istaken decision.鈥� He said the defense would respond to the accusations in court.
A spokesperson for the prosecutors鈥� 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鈥橳selem.
鈥淭he 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 鈥� it is a central component of a policy designed to allow the violence to continue and escalate,鈥� wrote Yair Dvir, spokesperson for B鈥橳selem.
Footage of the attack shows settler firing shots
The indictment comes just over a year after Hathaleen鈥檚 death.
Video from the day showed Levi shooting in the direction of buildings and a group of Palestinians in Hathaleen鈥檚 village, Umm al-Khair, on the day the activist was killed.
One video , while another, which family members say was , 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 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.
鈥淲e were in my office, applying constant pressure on the police and the district attorney,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 leave them to do what they wanted.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Koral Saeed contributed to this report from Herzliya, Israel.
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