One year on, No Other Land co-director says Israeli attacks intensifying | Israel-Palestine conflict News
Israeli Settler Attacks Increase in Masafer Yatta, Film Director Reports
Nearly one year after the Palestinian-Israeli documentary No Other Land won an Academy Award, co-director Hamdan Ballal reports a surge in attacks by Israeli settlers on the occupied West Bank village cluster known as Masafer Yatta. Ballal, who has been a vocal advocate for the featured community, claims those involved in the film have become frequent targets of retaliation.
The latest incident occurred on Sunday, when Israeli settlers entered Ballal’s hometown of Susya. This took place despite a recent Israeli court ruling prohibiting non-residents from the area. When the family called upon Israeli military personnel to enforce the ruling, they allege the officers sided with the settlers.
“The ruling was supposed to improve our situation, but it had the opposite effect,” Ballal stated. He added that the authorities failed to enforce the court’s decision and appeared to support the attackers.
During the incident, one of Ballal’s brothers was reportedly placed in a chokehold by an army officer, leading to hospitalization due to breathing issues. Four other family members—two brothers, a nephew, and a cousin—were detained for several hours as they arrived on the scene but have since been released.
Ballal highlighted that his family had faced prior violence, recalling an earlier attack against him by the same settler group after his return from the Academy Awards in March. During that event, he was reportedly abducted by Israeli settlers and military personnel, sustaining injuries before being released the following day.
In the wake of the documentary’s release, Ballal noted that retaliation has shifted from himself to his family, potentially to avoid drawing media attention. His relatives have faced ongoing restrictions, including being prevented from grazing livestock and tended to agricultural land. They have also been subjected to arrests and intimidation regarding Ballal’s work.
“My family is suffering for my actions; I shared the movie and the truth,” he said.
No Other Land, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary on March 2, chronicles the efforts of Palestinian journalist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham to safeguard Palestinian homes amidst rising tensions with settlers in Masafer Yatta. Israeli filmmaker Rachel Szor is also credited as a co-director.
Settlers in the region frequently use Palestinian land for grazing livestock, effectively asserting control and facilitating the establishment of illegal outposts, which disrupts Palestinians’ access to their farms and livestock.
The Israeli military has claimed the need to demolish Palestinian villages to convert the area into a military training zone. The military did not respond to inquiries regarding Sunday’s incident.
In the broader context of the occupied West Bank, the far-right coalition government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly promoted measures aimed at expanding Israeli control over Palestinian territories. Recently, the government announced the resumption of land registration processes for the first time since 1967, a move criticized by rights groups for potentially accelerating the dispossession and displacement of Palestinians.
Ballal’s family is not alone in bearing the consequences of the film’s impact. Adra, featured in No Other Land, experienced a raid on his home in at-Tawani in September following confrontations with settlers trespassing on his olive grove. Additionally, Awdah Hathaleen, a key activist and football player involved in the film, was shot and killed in July while opposing settler violence in the area.
Ballal described these attacks as acts of terrorism, leaving the Palestinian community in Masafer Yatta in a constant state of fear. “It’s simply a right for Palestinians to feel safe in their homes,” he said. “We have been living in fear for a long time, and international law often seems ineffective for Palestinians. But we are human beings, and we have a right to live.”
