Israel/Palestinian Territories – Murder of Odeh Hathalin in the West Bank (July 29, 2025)

France was deeply saddened to learn of the murder of Odeh Hathalin,who represented the village of Umm al-Khair in the Masafer Yatta Valley and was a colleague of Yuval Abraham, winner of the Anna Politkovskaya – Arman Soldin Prize for Courage in Journalism.

France condemns this murder in the strongest possible terms, along with all the violence that extremist settlers are deliberately inflicting on the Palestinian population and which is spreading throughout the West Bank. Kafr Malik and the Christian village of Taybeh are recent examples.

These violent actions are acts of terrorism. Settlers have killed more than 30 people since the beginning of 2022. The Israeli authorities must uphold their responsibilities and immediately punish the perpetrators of such violence, which is continuing with impunity, and protect Palestinian civilians.

France reiterates its total condemnation of settlement activity, which is contrary to international law, as the International Court of Justice concluded in its advisory opinion of July 19, 2024. At the national level and through three European packages, we have adopted sanctions against settlers guilty of violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.

We will continue to support the adoption of further measures by the EU, and if the violence continues, we stand ready to take additional measures at the national level, including sanctions against members of the government who support such violence.