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A violent attack in the occupied West Bank has left Hamdan Ballal, one of the co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, injured and detained by Israeli authorities. According to Jewish activists present at the scene, Ballal was assaulted by Israeli settlers before being taken into custody by the military.
Attack in Masafer Yatta
The incident took place in the Palestinian village of Susiya, located in the Masafer Yatta area, where dozens of settlers stormed the village, damaging property, according to the activist group Center for Jewish Nonviolence. Amid the chaos, Ballal was brutally attacked, sustaining head injuries. While he was receiving medical attention in an ambulance, Israeli soldiers arrested him and another Palestinian man, activists reported.
“We don’t know where Hamdan is because he was taken away in a blindfold,” said Josh Kimelman, an activist who was present during the assault, speaking to The Associated Press.
The attack involved 10-20 masked settlers who allegedly threw stones, wielded sticks, and vandalized vehicles belonging to the activists, smashing windows and slashing tires. Video footage provided by the Center for Jewish Nonviolence captures a masked settler swinging fists at two activists, who then hurried back to their car while rocks pelted the vehicle. “Get in, get in!” one activist shouts in the video, as the sound of shattering glass and flying stones echoes in the background. “Car window was broken,” the driver comments as they speed away.
No Other Land and Its Controversial Impact
No Other Land, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary this year, highlights the struggle of Masafer Yatta residents against the Israeli military’s demolition plans. Co-directed by two Palestinians, Ballal and Basel Adra, and two Israelis, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the film has received international acclaim since premiering at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. However, it has also sparked controversy, particularly in Israel and abroad. For instance, a Miami Beach theater briefly faced the threat of losing its lease after screening the documentary.
The film sheds light on the long-standing Israeli military policies in Masafer Yatta, an area designated as a live-fire training zone in the 1980s. The military ordered the expulsion of residents—primarily Arab Bedouins—but approximately 1,000 people have remained despite repeated demolitions of their homes, water tanks, and olive groves. Many Palestinians fear that complete expulsion is imminent.
Rising Violence in the West Bank
The West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, remains a flashpoint of conflict. While Palestinians seek these territories for a future state, Israel has expanded its settlements, now home to over 500,000 Israeli citizens. Meanwhile, the region’s 3 million Palestinians live under Israeli military control, with the Palestinian Authority overseeing major population centers.
Since the onset of the war in Gaza, violence in the West Bank has escalated, with Israeli military operations resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians. At the same time, there has been a significant rise in settler attacks on Palestinian communities, as well as an increase in Palestinian attacks against Israelis, fueling further instability in the region.
Israeli military officials have stated that they are investigating the attack on Ballal but have not yet provided any official comments. The circumstances of his detention and current whereabouts remain unclear.
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