Israeli settler kills West Bank activist who worked on Oscar-winning film
An Israeli settler has shot and killed Palestinian activist and teacher Awdah Hathaleen in a village near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, local officials and journalists said.
Hathaleen was well known for his activism, including helping the creators of the Oscar-winning film No Other Land, which documents Israeli settler and soldier attacks on the Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta.
He 'was shot dead by settlers … during their attack on the village of Umm al-Khair', in Masafer Yatta, the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Education wrote on social media late on Monday.
The two filmmakers behind No Other Land – Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and Palestinian journalist Basel Adra – also confirmed that the activist was shot and killed.
'My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening,' Adra wrote on social media. 'He was standing in front of the community centre in his village when a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life,' he said.
'This is how Israel erases us — one life at a time.' Co-director Abraham described Hathaleen as 'a remarkable activist who helped us film No Other Land in Masafer Yatta'.
Abraham also posted a video of the incident and said that 'residents identified Yinon Levi, sanctioned by the EU and US, as the shooter'.
'This is him in the video firing like crazy,' Abraham said.
Israeli police acknowledged that they were investigating an 'incident near Carmel [al-Karmil]', an illegal Israeli settlement neighbouring Umm al-Khair.
'An Israeli citizen was detained at the scene and then arrested by police for questioning,' a police statement said.
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