ISRAELI prosecutors today charged a settler for the killing of a Palestinian community leader last year in the occupied West Bank, according to an indictment filed in district court.

In the document, prosecutors accuse Yinon Levi, who lives in the south of the West Bank, of reckless manslaughter in the death of prominent Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in July 2025. 

The prosecutors also charged Mr Levi with armed trespassing and malicious property damage.

It is extremely rare for Israel to charge settlers with violence against Palestinians. Israeli rights group B’Tselem said that the charges against Mr Levi mark the first time since October 7 2023 that an Israeli has been indicted for the death of a Palestinian in the West Bank. 

In that time, the group said, Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinians in the territory.

A lawyer for Mr Levi, Avichay Hajbi, said the prosecution had come to a “mistaken decision.” 

Mr Levi was shown in video footage shooting at crowds of Palestinians in Mr Hathaleen’s village, Umm al-Khair, on the day the activist was killed. 

Witnesses said one of the shots Mr Levi fired struck Mr Hathaleen, who was standing yards away.

Mr Hathaleen was a prominent voice advocating against settler violence and was involved in the 2025 Oscar-winning film No Other Land.