Save Masafer Yatta with Know Hope
Awdah was the sun.
That’s how one community member described him, drawing Awdah’s name inside a makeshift sun shining over a small doodled home. “He brought light everywhere.”
Over the past few weeks, our Farós artist artist Addam Yekutieli (Know Hope) has been visiting Umm al-Khair, a village in Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank. He was invited by the community to paint a mural in memory of Awdah Hathaleen, a beloved activist and neighbor who was murdered this past July by a well-known settler who still walks free.
In partnership with Albi, Oscar-winning filmmaker Rachel Szor (No Other Land), documented the process and edited it as a short film — a moving record of collective memory and resistance. We’re honored to share both the video and Addam’s reflection below.
From Addam (Know Hope)
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been visiting Umm Al-Khair, a village in Masafer Yatta, the South Hebron Hills in the Occupied Palestinian territories. I received the extremely humbling invitation to paint a mural memorializing Awdah Hathaleen, a beloved community member and activist who was murdered by settler Yinon Levi this past July.
I didn’t have the privilege of knowing Awdah, but hearing about him in the words of his family, friends, and fellow activists, it was clear how special of an individual he was. During workshops with the community, I listened as they shared stories — and seeing their eyes when they spoke about him helped me understand what an anchor he was for everyone. One theme was constant: illumination. He was a light — infectious and guiding, a beaming and radiating being. A father, a husband, a teacher, and someone who fought for justice for his community, embodying the story of maintaining humanity in the face of incessant violence and oppression.
Together we transformed these stories into images to be incorporated into the mural, with the intention of it embodying Awdah. The mural was painted next to the exact spot where he was shot and killed. The community has preserved the site, tracing a line with sand around the bloodstains that are still visible on the concrete. The white birds in the mural fly toward that corner, as if consuming his being while also bearing witness.
Still in mourning, the community recently received demolition orders for 14 structures in the village, including the community center where I painted the mural. This will leave many families without housing just as winter approaches. This is an imminent and very concrete threat. We cannot allow this to happen.
How to Help
We are calling on our friends, networks, and allies to stand with the people of Umm al-Khair: