Yinon Levi, an Israeli resident of Judea and Samaria, is in police custody on Tuesday morning following a violent incident involving an attack by an Arab mob in the southern Hebron Hills a day prior.
Levi has been the subject of sanctions by multiple countries. He was also included in the sanctions imposed by the Biden Administration, which were later revoked following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
The incident began when Arab rioters hurled rocks at Jewish workers and vehicles during work to develop a new neighborhood in the community of Carmel.
During the construction, dozens of rioters from the illegal Umm al-Khair outpost, who live in illegal structures nearby, threw rocks at the workers and their vehicles.
Levi, who was among the Jewish workers, reportedly opened fire in self-defense. Footage shows him surrounded by the rioters as they provoke and physically engage him; he then fires his handgun several times in an undetermined direction, causing the rioters to retreat.
According to Arab reports, one of the rioters, identified as Odeh Hadalin, an activist who assisted in the production of the anti-Israel film "No Other Land," was critically wounded as a result of the gunfire and later died from his wounds.
IDF and police forces arrived at the scene and arrested Levi. In addition, four Palestinian Arabs, including Hamdan Ballal, the director of "No Other Land," were arrested, as well as two foreign nationals who were at the scene.
Levi is scheduled to appear in court on Monday in Jerusalem. A statement released by the Mount Hebron Regional Council reads: "We will be there to support him and to call on the IDF and the government to demonstrate sovereignty—arrest the attackers, not the victims. Yinon stands on the front lines for us; we will stand there for him."
Following the incident on Monday, Mount Hebron Regional Council Chairman Eliram Azulai stated, “We have warned and demanded the creation of security zones around the communities, and today we witnessed firsthand the danger posed by illegal construction in the area. I call on the enforcement authorities to eradicate this dangerous phenomenon and to immediately enforce laws against illegal construction around the communities and roads for the safety of our residents.”
The community of Carmel added: “The community will not accept a reality in which a Jew is attacked—certainly not within the boundaries of the community itself! This incident could have ended in the murder of a Jew had he not defended himself. We call on the enforcement authorities to wake up and immediately remove all illegal construction encircling the Carmel community and endangering lives.”
At the same time, dozens of Arab rioters from Kafr Malik in the Binyamin Region attacked a Jewish shepherd from the Ma'ale Ahuvya farm while he grazed his flock in the pastures near Kochav Hashahar.
The rioters, armed with clubs, set fire to the pasture and threw rocks. The shepherd, who miraculously was not injured, called for security forces—but so far, no arrests have been reported, despite claims that some of the attackers were unmasked and clearly documented.