Police requested a delay in releasing Levi from house arrest in order to allow an appeal of the decision, which Toker granted.<\/p>\n
Hathaleen, who was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary \u201cNo Other Land\u201d about Israeli home demolitions in the West Bank, was allegedly shot dead by Levi when the latter operated an excavator inside Umm al-Khair and damaged trees and a water pipe inside the village.<\/p>\n
\t Yinon Levi works on his farm in the South Hebron Hills, West Bank, May 12, 2024. (Maya Alleruzzo\/AP)<\/p>\n Village residents and pro-Palestinian activists reportedly attempted to block construction work Levi was carrying out near the Carmel settlement, parts of which come right up to Umm al-Khair, and allegedly threw stones at the excavator he was using alongside an underage driver.<\/p>\n Levi and the minor were carrying out earthworks for a new neighborhood of Carmel, but allegedly crossed into Umm al-Khair\u2019s territory, where they began damaging infrastructure and trees inside the village.<\/p>\n Hathaleen sent a WhatsApp message to activists in the area saying that Levi had tried to sever the main water pipe for the Palestinian village and then went with other activists to try to stop the construction vehicle.<\/p>\n While being questioned by Levi\u2019s lawyer, the police representative in court said that the bullet that killed Hathaleen had not been found.<\/p>\n The police representative insisted, however, that since the potential charge against Levi was reckless manslaughter, further investigative actions were needed to determine if Levi had lawfully fired his weapon.<\/p>\n As to Levi\u2019s claim that his gunshots were not those that killed Hathaleen, he said, \u201cThere are several versions [of events] here, there are a large number of involved persons. Each one sees the incident from his perspective, from where he stood.\u201d He added that further investigative work was needed in order to sort out the claims.<\/p>\n \t The mourning tent set up in memory of Odeh al-Hathaleen at the site where he was killed In Umm al-Kheir, in the South Hebron Hills, West Bank. July 31, 2025. (Nurit Yohanan)<\/p>\n Toker said that, along with the testimony she argued had strengthened Levi\u2019s case, his claims of self-defense had also been boosted by evidence collected from the \u201cother side.\u201d She said, \u201cThere is no argument that an incident of dozens of participants who threw stones toward the respondent was prevented.\u201d<\/p>\n Levi is among several West Bank settlers who were placed under economic sanctions by the former administration of former US president Joe Biden for perpetrating violence against Palestinians. President Donald Trump lifted the sanctions, but sanctions imposed by Canada, the UK, and the European Union remain in place.<\/p>\n Levi founded and operates an illegal farming outpost, Meitarim Farms, in the South Hebron Hills region where Umm al-Khair is located. He also owns a construction and demolition company which is subcontracted by the IDF to carry out demolitions in the West Bank of illegal Palestinian construction.<\/p>\n Levi has also been working in Gaza City, doing demolition work for the army there.<\/p>\n Civil rights organizations have repeatedly accused Levi of being responsible for severe violence and harassment against local Palestinians, using Meitarim Farms as a base for him and young settler extremists to intimidate and attack local communities such as Khirbet Zanuta, whose residents eventually fled their homes in October 2023 in the face of such harassment.<\/p>\n A petition to the High Court of Justice by Khirbet Zanuta residents demanding protection explicitly names Levi as one of the key sources of violence against the community.<\/p>\n
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