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July 29, 2025 – Palestine –
Awdah Hathaleen, a 31-year-old Palestinian activist, English teacher, journalist, and contributor to the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was shot dead in the village of Umm al-Khair in Masafer Yatta, located in the occupied West Bank. Witnesses say the incident occurred when an Israeli settler, identified as Yinon Levi, who had previously been sanctioned by the EU, UK, and US, fired into a crowd during a confrontation, striking Hathaleen in the chest. He died from the fatal wound.
Footage shared by filmmakers and rights groups shows Levi brandishing a handgun before the shooting, which followed tensions over an earthmoving operation in the village. Hathaleen had helped document settler violence and eviction campaigns in the area through his participation in No Other Land, which chronicles the dismantling of Palestinian homes and community resistance.
Israeli police arrested Levi on suspicion of manslaughter and unlawful use of a firearm, but swiftly released him to house arrest. In contrast, four of Hathaleen’s family members were detained following the incident. The court ordered Levi to remain in isolation at a private location, banning contact with any individuals connected to the shooting for a set number of days.
International reaction was swift and fierce. Rights advocates and film collaborators described the killing as emblematic of systemic impunity for settler violence. Filmmaker Basel Adra tweeted, “My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered … This is how Israel erases us—one life at a time.” The disparity between Levi’s lenient detention and the arrest of Palestinians has drawn condemnation, with many characterising it as symbolic of broader legal and political double standards.
This tragedy has reignited global scrutiny over settler attacks in the West Bank, the vulnerability of activists and journalists documenting occupation, and the erosion of protections guaranteed under international law.
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