An Israeli settler has been charged with reckless manslaughter for the killing of a prominent Palestinian activist last year, marking a rare instance of Israel prosecuting a settler for violence against Palestinians.
Prosecutors on Thursday unveiled charges against Yinon Levi, who lives in the south of the West Bank, over the death of Odeh Hathalin in July 2025.
The reckless manslaughter charge carries a lesser punishment than murder under Israeli law, with a maximum prison sentence of 12 years. The indictment, filed at the Beersheba District Court, also includes charges of armed trespassing and malicious property damage.
It is extremely unusual for Israel to charge settlers with violence against Palestinians. The charges against Levi mark the first time since the October 7, 2023 attacks that an Israeli has been indicted for killing a Palestinian in the West Bank, according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
Many settlers are armed, and violence in the West Bank has surged since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
