GRAPHIC: Settler kills violent Palestinian rioter in Hebron Hills

Yesterday (Monday) afternoon, settlers working on a neighborhood development project in the municipal area of the Carmel settlement in the Hebron Hills were attacked by an Arab mob, including foreign activists, with stones and violence.

One settler, feeling his life was in danger, fired into the air with his weapon. Palestinians at the scene claim one was hit and later died, though this remains under investigation.

The Arab mob and foreign activists approached from the illegal village of Umm al-Khir in Area C, attacking the settlers just meters from Carmel’s homes. The rioters threw massive rocks at the settlers cursed them, smashed the settlers’ vehicle windows and damaged their bulldozer. Shortly after, far-left activists, including Moshe Radman, Peace Now, Yair Hoppenheim, MK Cassif, MK Odeh, and others, began posting on social media, some spreading blood libel accusations against the settlers and sharing partial, edited footage of the event.

Some say the Palestinian rioter was shot in the chest while outside the community center in Umm al-Khair village, part of the Masafer Yatta region, where he was known for his activism, including contributing to the viciously anti-Israel documentary *No Other Land*, which documents settler and military activity in the area. Unconfirmed reports indicate that a second Palestinian was possibly injured, with conflicting accounts: Palestinians claim he was run over by a bulldozer, while the settler asserts the shooting followed a stone-throwing attack by dozens of villagers.

he shooter, identified by some as Yinon Levi, a settler previously sanctioned by the U.S. and EU for alleged violence against Palestinians, has been detained by Israeli police, who are investigating the “incident near Carmel.” Authorities also arrested four Palestinians and two foreign tourists present at the scene, with the police noting the death but leaving the victim’s involvement under review.

This morning (Tuesday) Attorney Avichai Hajbi, representing the Hebron Hills settler who was attacked by an Arab mob and acted in self-defense, condemned the arrest. He accused the Israeli police of yielding to pressure from MKs Ayman Odeh, Ofer Cassif, and the Peace Now movement. “It’s deeply troubling that the Israeli police are seeking to extend the detention of a settler who was attacked by a mob with stones, endangering lives,” Hajbi said. “Even worse, the police are succumbing to the dictates of MKs like Ayman Odeh, Ofer Cassif, Peace Now, and Yair Oppenheimer, who have already prejudged the settler’s guilt. I’m certain that, upon reviewing the evidence, the court will order my client’s release.”

A hearing is scheduled for this afternoon at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, where Hajbi will demand the settler’s release.