Hamdan Ballal, one of the Palestinian co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” was assaulted by Israeli settlers and later detained by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank on Monday, according to witnesses and his fellow directors.
Ballal was among three Palestinians detained in the village of Susiya, lawyer Lea Tsemel confirmed. She said the detainees were reportedly being held at a military base for medical treatment, but she had not been able to contact them.
According to Basel Adra, another co-director of the documentary, around two dozen settlers — some masked, others armed, and some in Israeli military uniforms — attacked the village. He alleged that soldiers pointed their guns at the Palestinians while settlers threw stones.
“We came back from the Oscars, and every day since, there is an attack on us,” Adra told the Associated Press (AP). “This might be their revenge on us for making the movie. It feels like a punishment.”
The Israeli military stated that three Palestinians were detained for allegedly throwing rocks at soldiers, along with one Israeli civilian involved in what they described as a “violent confrontation.” Witnesses, however, disputed these claims. The military also reported evacuating an Israeli citizen for medical treatment.
“No Other Land” won acclaim for highlighting the struggles of Palestinian communities under occupation. The incident has drawn further attention to the escalating tensions in the West Bank.
