Israeli Settler To Face Charges In Palestinian Activist's Death

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli prosecutors said Monday that they scheme to complaint a settler successful nan sidesplitting of a Palestinian activistic during a confrontation that was caught connected video, opening a uncommon prosecution of unit by Jewish settlers successful nan occupied West Bank.

Attacks from settlers and location demolitions by authorities person spiked dramatically complete nan past 2 years, but nan decease successful July of Awdah Hathaleen has drawn peculiar attraction owed to his engagement successful nan 2025 Oscar-winning movie “No Other Land,” which chronicled Palestinian villagers’ conflict to enactment connected their land. The lawsuit besides stands retired because nan confrontation betwixt Palestinians and Yinon Levi, an internationally sanctioned settler, was captured connected video from aggregate vantage points.

In a video that family members opportunity was taken by Hathaleen, Levi could beryllium seen firing toward nan personification holding nan camera. Another showed Levi firing 2 shots without showing wherever nan bullets struck.

An Israeli judge released Levi from custody six months ago, citing a deficiency of grounds that he fired nan shots that killed Hathaleen.

Israel’s State Attorney General’s agency confirmed successful a connection Monday that it had initiated proceedings to indict Levi. It did not specify nan charges.

Eitan Peleg, an lawyer for Hathaleen’s family, said nan agency had informed them it planned to indict Levi for reckless homicide, triggering a process that allows Levi to title charges earlier they’re formally filed.

“Enforcement of nan rule successful cases for illustration this involving Palestinians successful nan West Bank is very rare, truthful this is unique,” Peleg said.

Israel’s subject referred questions connected nan indictment to police, who person not yet responded. Both bodies enforce laws successful nan area.

More than 3.4 cardinal Palestinians and 700,000 Israelis unrecorded successful nan occupied West Bank and eastbound Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel successful 1967 and sought by Palestinians for a early state. The world organization overwhelmingly considers Israeli colony building successful these areas to beryllium forbidden and an obstacle to peace.

Palestinians and authorities groups opportunity authorities routinely neglect to prosecute settlers aliases clasp them accountable for violence. Under National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, investigations into settler attacks person plummeted, according to nan Israeli authorities group Yesh Din.

Khalil Hathaleen, Awdah’s brother, said nan family was gladsome immoderate measurement of justness was being pursued but felt nan complaint of “reckless homicide” was insufficient.

“It was an intentional sidesplitting successful wide daylight, pinch anterior intent and premeditation,” he said.

Levi’s attorney, Avichai Hajbi, declined Monday to remark connected nan coming indictment, which he said he hadn’t received. After nan shooting, had said that Levi acted successful self-defense, without elaborating. Levi did not reply telephone calls Monday.

Parts of nan confrontation were filmed

Video released past twelvemonth by B’Tselem, an Israeli quality authorities group, showed Levi firing a weapon toward nan personification filming. At nan infinitesimal that B’Tselem says Hathaleen collapsed, nan visuals are jostled but moans of symptom tin beryllium heard. The group said it obtained nan video from nan family of Hathaleen, who said he filmed it.

Additional footage obtained by nan Associated Press past twelvemonth showed Levi waving a pistol during nan standoff successful Umm al-Khair that was pinch a group of Palestinians complete an excavator that had rolled down from a adjacent colony and damaged Palestinian spot earlier successful nan day.

Alaa Hathaleen, a relative who filmed nan encounter, said astatine nan clip that he had approached Levi to show him nan group was unarmed and to extremity nan bulldozing.

In nan video, 1 Palestinian insults Levi and different challenges him to shoot. Levi shoves personification conscionable retired of nan frame, demands to cognize who threw stones, and later fires a shot, seemingly distant from nan crowd. He past fires again and yells toward nan crowd to get distant from nan excavator.

The footage did not show wherever bullets struck, though different relatives said they saw Awdah Hathaleen autumn instantly aft shots were fired.

Levi was detained earlier being released to location arrest. That information was yet lifted.

Levi was among nan Israeli settlers sanctioned by nan United States and different Western countries complete allegations of unit toward Palestinians successful 2024. President Trump lifted nan U.S. sanctions aft taking office.

Attacks spike arsenic spotlight grows

Activists and unit members connected nan movie “No Other Land” person said settler attacks person intensified connected nan colony portrayed since nan movie won nan Oscar.

Hamdan Ballal, 1 of nan film’s directors, said his family location successful Umm al-Khair was taxable to different onslaught connected Sunday. Four relatives were arrested during nan confrontation, he said.

Ballal said a soldier, who came to their location accompanied by different worker and a settler-herder, grabbed his relative by nan cervix and tried to choke him. Neither nan service nor nan constabulary responded to requests for remark connected nan incident.

“The twelvemonth aft I won nan Oscar, nan assaults accrued significantly. On a regular basis, settlers travel and destruct nan fields, destruct nan trees, destruct nan crops astir nan house,” he said.

Israeli proof-of-ownership rules spark anger

As prosecutors move to indict Levi and unit persists crossed nan West Bank, Israel is moving up pinch measures to deepen its power complete onshore successful nan occupied territory.

On Sunday, it announced it would resume a onshore registration process crossed nan West Bank to require anyone pinch a declare to onshore to taxable documents proving ownership. Rights groups opportunity nan process could portion Palestinians of onshore they’ve lived connected and farmed for generations and transportation immense swaths of onshore to Israeli authorities control.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said nan steps countered Palestinian Authority onshore registration efforts successful areas wherever Israel maintains civilian and subject control.

The measures travel years of accusations by Palestinians that actions by settlers and nan subject — campaigns of violence, harassment and demolitions — person pushed them from their land.

The decisions person drawn wide condemnation arsenic violations of world law, including from countries progressive successful nan ceasefire process successful nan Gaza Strip and Trump’s Board of Peace.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry successful a connection connected Monday said nan measures were portion of Israel’s effort to enforce a “new ineligible and administrative reality” that undermines prospects for bid and stability. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called nan move a “flagrant violation” of world law, informing it would escalate tensions successful nan Palestinian territories and crossed nan region.

Metz writes for nan Associated Press.
Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman contributed reporting from Tel Aviv.