Token measures mask Western complicity and protect Israel from real accountability.
On July 28, 2025, an Israeli settler shot Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in the chest, causing injuries that later proved fatal. The attack was captured on video, and the shooter was identified as Yinon Levi, a settler previously sanctioned by the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States under the Biden administration.
Hathaleen, aged 31, was a beloved activist and teacher from Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills. He also played a supporting role in the Oscar-winning film No Other Land, which depicts the story of his village, subjected to relentless attacks from settlers and settler-aligned soldiers for decades.
Hathaleen’s killing is far from isolated. He is one of more than 1,000 Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the genocide in Gaza began in October 2023. This surge in violence coincides with a sharp rise in Palestinian land seizures and home demolitions. The Israeli government has used the genocide in Gaza as cover to accelerate its takeover plans for the West Bank. Just days before entering its three-month summer recess, the Israeli Knesset passed a non-binding motion to annex the entire territory.
