A mural of Awdah Hathaleen in the Umm Al-Khair community center with added writings by friends and family. (Omri Eran Vardi)
Masafer Yatta, South Hebron Hills, Occupied West Bank
One year after Palestinian teacher and human rights activist Awdah Mohammad Khalil Hathaleen was shot and murdered by an Israeli settler during a peaceful protest in Umm al-Kheir, his community gathered to remember not only the circumstances of his death, but the life he dedicated to defending his people and their right to remain on their land.
His murdering on July 28, 2025, was one of a growing number of incidents in which Palestinians have been murdered by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank with little or no meaningful accountability. Human rights organizations have repeatedly documented a pattern of delayed investigations, limited prosecutions, and impunity in cases involving violence against Palestinians. For Awdah’s family and community, the anniversary was both a memorial and a reminder that justice remains elusive.
That reality was evident once again on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, when Israeli forces raided the Umm al-Kheir Community Center and declared the area a “closed military zone” in an attempt to prevent residents from holding a memorial event. Despite the military order, participants remained and completed the ceremony, determined to honor Awdah’s memory.
The gathering brought together members of Hathaleen’s family, community leaders, representatives from Palestinian communities across Masafer Yatta, local human rights activists, Israeli and international solidarity activists, and journalists.
During the raid, Israeli soldiers assaulted Israeli Knesset member Ofer Cassif of the Hadash party after he objected to the evacuation order. The memorial nevertheless continued until its conclusion.
A life devoted to education and justice
To those who knew him, Awdah Hathaleen was far more than the victim of a headline.
He was an English teacher at Al-Saray’a Secondary School, a devoted father of three young children, and a respected community leader whose quiet determination inspired those around him. Through his work as both an educator and activist, he believed that telling the truth about life in Masafer Yatta was itself an act of resistance.
For years, Hathaleen documented home demolitions, land confiscation, restrictions on shepherds’ access to grazing land, and the daily pressures facing Palestinian communities living under occupation. He worked closely with Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists to advocate for the rights of residents determined to remain on their land through nonviolent means.
He also contributed to the Academy Award-winning documentary No Other Land, which brought global attention to the struggle of Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta and their efforts to resist forced displacement.
The circumstances of his killing
On July 28, 2025, residents of Umm al-Kheir were protesting land bulldozing at their community when an Israeli settler opened fire, murdering Awdah Hathaleen.
In the days that followed, the Israeli military imposed strict measures on the village. According to his family and local residents, Israeli occupation forces prevented the establishment of a traditional mourning tent, declared the area a closed military zone, dispersed mourners, journalists, and international supporters, and withheld Hathaleen’s body for eleven days before returning it to his family.
Video footage from the incident showed Israeli settler Yinon Levi firing toward Palestinians during the protest. The following day, an Israeli court ordered his release under house arrest, a decision widely criticized by human rights organizations and Awdah’s family.
A solidarity demonstration calling for accountability is scheduled outside the Israeli Attorney General’s Office in Jerusalem on Friday, July 31, under the slogan “Justice Now.”
Honoring his legacy
Rather than allowing the anniversary to focus solely on loss, the people of Umm al-Kheir chose to invest in the future Awdah believed in.
The memorial concluded with the inauguration of the Awdah Hathaleen Library, recognizing his lifelong commitment to education, alongside the opening of the Haj Suleiman Hathaleen Medical Clinic, named after another respected leader of the community’s nonviolent struggle.
Together, the two humble projects reflect a belief that remembrance is best expressed by strengthening the community itself, creating places where future generations can learn, heal, and continue the work of those who came before them.
Umm al-Kheir and the struggle to remain
Umm al-Kheir is a small Palestinian Bedouin community in the Masafer Yatta area, southeast of Hebron. For decades, residents have faced repeated home demolitions, settlement expansion, land confiscation, and ongoing pressure to leave their homes.
The Hathaleen family settled there in 1965 after purchasing land following their displacement from the Arad area in 1950. In 1980, Israeli authorities established the settlement of Carmel on land surrounding the village, and residents say expanding settlement activity has increasingly restricted construction, grazing, and freedom of movement.
The medical clinic also honors Haj Suleiman Hathaleen, one of the most recognized leaders of the community’s popular resistance. He died in January 2022 after sustaining critical injuries when he was struck by a vehicle belonging to Israeli forces while participating in a peaceful protest at Umm al-Kheir.
One year after Awdah Hathaleen’s murdering, the community’s message was clear. His legacy will be remembered not only through calls for justice, but through classrooms filled with students, a clinic serving families, and the continued determination of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta to remain on their land despite the challenges they continue to face.