A Palestinian Oscar winner has been attacked by Israeli settlers, according to eyewitness activists, before being detained by the Israeli military. Hamdan Ballal, one of the four co-directors of “No Other Land,” had his house in the Israeli-occupied West Bank surrounded by settlers during an assault on Monday, the Center for Jewish Nonviolence group (CJNV) reported.
Co-director Yuval Abraham stated that Mr. Ballal was beaten by settlers and then apprehended by soldiers while in an ambulance. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied that any Palestinian had been detained from an ambulance.
Without identifying Mr. Ballal, the IDF said that three Palestinians and an Israeli were detained on suspicion of “rock hurling” at security forces.
An activist present at the scene informed the BBC that the three detained Palestinians, including Mr. Ballal, sustained injuries during the settler attack and are currently at an Israeli police station in the West Bank.
They are suspected of throwing stones and injuring a young settler shepherd and are being interrogated, the activist added, noting that they have been granted access to a lawyer.
The attack commenced at approximately 18:00 (16:00 GMT) on Monday, when about a dozen masked settlers launched an assault in the village of Susya, as reported by five Jewish American activists from CJNV.
The five activists stated that they had gone to the village to document the incident and were themselves subjected to attack, with settlers smashing their car windows and assaulting them with punches and sticks. Mr. Ballal’s residence was reportedly surrounded by the settlers.
Yuval Abraham, the Israeli director who won the Oscar this month alongside Mr. Ballal, reported that individuals were injured and properties were destroyed in the attack.
The activist who spoke to the BBC recounted their complaints to Israeli soldiers about being under attack. They stated that the army initially observed the attack and only intervened as the assault on the car was concluding. The soldiers then refused to pursue the settlers, allowing them to continue attacking homes on the other side of the hill, the activist said.
The IDF confirmed that soldiers and police arrived to disperse the confrontation. They stated that rocks had been “hurled” at security forces.
“In response, the forces apprehended three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at them, as well as an Israeli civilian involved in the violent confrontation,” the IDF stated. “The detainees were taken for further questioning by the Israel Police. An Israeli citizen was injured in the incident and was evacuated to receive medical treatment.”
“No Other Land” – which won best documentary at the 97th Academy Awards – documents the struggle over Masafer Yatta, a community of approximately 20 villages, and the friendship between Adra and Abraham.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Israeli settlements in the territory are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this. These settlements have expanded over the past 55 years, becoming a focal point for violence and conflicting land claims. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank has escalated.
