Oscar-winning Palestinian director attacked by Israelis in West Bank

Director Basel Adra, one of the film's co-writers, said he went to Ballal's home in the West Bank village of Susya on Monday after receiving a distress call. When he arrived, he witnessed Ballal and at least one other person being taken away by Israeli soldiers.

Outside Ballal's home, a group of Israeli settlers gathered, some of whom threw rocks at his house, Adra said. Israeli police and military forces were also on the scene, firing at anyone who tried to approach.

Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal. Photo: X/PopCrave

The Israeli military said it was on the scene to prevent a “violent clash” between Palestinians and Israelis, in which both sides threw stones at each other. Three Palestinians and one Israeli were later taken into custody for questioning, the Israeli military said.

Yuval Abraham, another co-director of No Other Land, said Ballal suffered head and abdominal injuries, and has not been heard from since.

Earlier this month, Ballal, Adra and Abraham took the stage together to accept the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for No Other Land, a film about the forced eviction of Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank.

Ballal, a Palestinian farmer, has been repeatedly threatened and harassed by Israeli settlers. Last year, he said settlers let their cattle onto his land while he slept. Ballal believes they want to take his land and said the violence increased after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

He once filmed an Israeli settler threatening him, claiming that “God gave me this land.” When Ballal called the police, he received no help.

No Other Land chronicles Israel's continued destruction of villages in Masafer Yatta, an area in the Hebron Mountains where Adra's family lives.

According to a report shared by Peace Now and Kerem Navot (two organizations that monitor Israeli settlement expansion), the number of livestock farms established by settlers has increased by nearly 50% since the outbreak of the war.

The Ballal attack occurred amid heightened tensions between Israel and Palestine since Hamas's offensive on October 7, 2023, which led to a large-scale Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Cao Phong (according to NPR, AJ, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dao-dien-nguoi-palestine-tung-doat-giai-oscar-bi-nguoi-israel-tan-cong-o-bo-tay-post339940.html