Exactly one month after Odeh Hadalin, 31, was shot dead by settler Yinon Levy in the South Hebron Hills, a group from the Carmel settlement erected four structures overnight Tuesday to create an outpost in the same area where the shooting occurred.
The Hebron Hills Regional Council, under whose jurisdiction the shooting took place, said the construction is part of the settlement’s expansion and lies within its official boundaries. The council said the work was being coordinated with the military.
Carmel residents erected a settler outpost in the area where Palestinian teacher Odeh Hadalin was killed
(Video: Peace Now)
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Setting down the outpost's buildings
(Photo: Use under Section 27A of the Copyright Law)
"Illegal construction in Umm al-Kheir, right up against the settlement fence, is an immediate danger of another October 7 at the hands of the village residents. We demand that the Civil Administration enforce the law immediately and create a security perimeter. We will continue to expand and grow the Carmel settlement and all communities across the Hebron Hills," the council said in a statement.
The Peace Now movement condemned the move, saying: "This is the peak of an ongoing campaign of abuse by the Israeli government against the residents of Umm al-Kheir. After decades of home demolitions and denial of permits and infrastructure, and after increasing violence from settlers and the army, comes the heavy blow of establishing a permanent outpost between the village homes. The settlers who set up this illegal outpost overnight did so as emissaries of the authorities, with direct support from the Hebron Hills Council, the army, the police and the government. Since the Smotrich-Ben-Gvir government was formed, about 90 Palestinian communities have been displaced by violent settlers who established outposts near them. The purpose of the new outpost is clear: to drive the residents of Umm al-Kheir from their land."
Hadalin, a schoolteacher, was shot on July 28 during a confrontation with settlers. Levy had arrived in Umm al-Kheir with a bulldozer and began infrastructure work on land near the settlement. He said he opened fire after dozens of villagers threw stones at him and other Jews present. Palestinians claimed the work had encroached on village land and said another man was injured after being run over by the bulldozer.
Rare footage from the incident, recorded on Hadalin’s own camera, shows the clashes between Palestinians and settlers. In the video, Levy is seen firing shots before the camera drops to the ground. Prior to the shooting, the footage shows villagers hurling stones at the bulldozer driven by Levy, including one that shattered the windshield. Police said Levy fired because he feared for his life, but according to the footage, al-Hadalin was not at the center of the clashes and was documenting the event when he was killed.
This article includes video and photos published under Section 27A of Israel’s Copyright Law