Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Israeli Prosecutors Indict Settler in Killing of Palestinian Activist on Lesser Charges

Prosecutors charged Yinon Levi with reckless manslaughter, trespass and malicious property damage in a case rights groups say tests rare enforcement against settlers.

Overview

  • Prosecutors filed an indictment that does not include murder and instead accuses Yinon Levi of reckless manslaughter, armed trespass and malicious damage to property.
  • If convicted on the planned counts Levi could face up to 12 years in prison under Israeli law.
  • Video evidence and a recent Al-Haq report are central to the case and say Levi shot Awdah Hathaleen when he posed no imminent threat.
  • Levi was briefly held under house arrest after the shooting and indictment proceedings opened earlier this year, but villagers say he continues to enter Umm al-Khair armed and residents report ongoing insecurity.
  • Advocates and family lawyers call the indictment unusually rare and say the lesser charges reflect long-running limits on civilian accountability for settler violence even as international pressure and US lawmakers raised the case publicly.