Video shows settler shooting Palestinian activist in West Bank

B’Tselem releases footage that appears to show a settler shooting a Palestinian activist, raising questions about accountability.

Video shows settler shooting Palestinian activist in West Bank

Awdah Hathaleen, an English teacher and Palestinian activist from Umm al-Khair, was killed on 28 July during a confrontation in the south Hebron hills as a digger moved toward a Palestinian grove. The new footage, released by the human rights group B’Tselem, is claimed to capture Yinon Levi drawing a gun and firing toward Hathaleen, who was filming the events.

Levi, who had been under sanctions in the UK and EU for violent acts against Palestinians, was arrested after the shooting but released by a court on the basis that the evidence had weakened. Levi has denied firing the shot that killed Hathaleen. Witness accounts, including Hathaleen’s footage and testimony from his brother-in-law Alaa Hathaleen, describe a tense scene in which Levi whips out a weapon and aims at Hathaleen.

The incident occurred as residents opposed an earth mover near a fenced-off grove, with stones thrown and a confrontation escalating before the gun was fired. The video and witness statements weigh against the defense claim that Levi fired into the air for self‑defense, and they highlight ongoing questions about how such cases are treated by Israeli civilian and military courts.

The release of this footage underscores a broader pattern in which accountability for violence by settlers is slow and contested. By juxtaposing video evidence with court outcomes, it highlights gaps between on-the-ground violence and formal responses, a dynamic that fuels distrust among Palestinian communities and international observers.

At a time when international scrutiny is high, the case raises questions about legal safeguards, independent investigations, and the role of sanctions in deterring violence. It also tests how human rights groups, foreign partners, and local communities translate video proof into meaningful accountability in a conflict zone where every act is contested.

Highlights

The footage keeps a painful focus on accountability in a volatile region.