Yinon Levi Charged with Reckless Manslaughter for Killing Palestinian Activist Awdah Hathaleen
Israeli prosecutors have charged Yinon Levi, a settler living in the southern West Bank, with reckless manslaughter for the death of Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in July 2025. This marks the first time since the October 7, 2023, attacks that an Israeli has been indicted for killing a Palestinian in the West Bank. Levi is also accused of armed trespassing and malicious property damage. The indictment, filed in the Beersheba District Court, alleges that Levi fired a single shot while clearing an unauthorized route across privately owned Palestinian land. Hathaleen, who was documenting the scene, was allegedly killed by Israeli forces and struck by the bullet while standing in a courtyard 20 meters away. While Levi claimed he was acting in self-defense, rights groups noted that Hathaleen posed no imminent threat at the time. The administration announced that US sanctions against Levi, which were lifted by President Trump, were a result of his history of violence toward Palestinians. The indictment follows a period of intense settler violence in the West Bank.