The Daily Populous Tuesday March 25th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by theguardian.com and submitted by Loud-Ad-2280

A Palestinian director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land has been arrested by the Israeli army after masked settlers attacked his house.

According to five Jewish American activists who witnessed the attack, Hamdan Ballal, one of the four directors of the the film that documented the destruction of villages in the West Bank, was surrounded and attacked by a group of about 15 armed settlers in Susya in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron.

“They started throwing stones towards Palestinians and destroyed a water tank near Hamdan’s house,” said Joseph, of the activists from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, who asked not to use his full name for security reasons.

The witnesses said that a group of soldiers arrived at the scene alongside other settlers dressed in military uniform, who chased Hamdan to his house and handed him over to the military.

‘‘The settlers destroyed his car with stones and slashed one of the tyres,’’ another witness, Raviv, told the Guardian. ‘‘All the windows and windshields were broken.’’

View image in fullscreen Hamdan Ballal’s vehicle which was damaged by Israeli settlers. Photograph: Handout

Ballal was injured by the settlers and taken by the Israeli army.

Members of the activist group filmed the attack and then entered the house and saw blood over the floor, which a family member said was spilled when Hamdan was hit on the head.

The director, and another man – identified only as Nasser – were arrested and taken to a police station. It was not clear why.

In a statement the IDF said there was a violent confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis after “terrorists” threw rocks at Israeli citizens.

“IDF and Israeli Police forces arrived to disperse the confrontation, at this point, several terrorists began hurling rocks at the security forces,” the statement said.

“The forces apprehended three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at them, as well as an Israeli civilian involved in the violent confrontation. The detainees were taken for further questioning by the Israel Police.”

Basel Adra, another of No Other Land’s four directors, who are all from Israel and Palestine, told the Guardian he thought the escalating settler violence might be a response to the international recognition won by the documentary.

“Palestinians in the village have been under physical attack by settlers almost daily. The settlers’ violence is increasing here. Maybe it’s a revenge for the movie and the Oscar,” he said.

Adra, who witnessed the attack in Susya described the violence as “horrific”. “There were dozens of settlers together with the Israeli soldiers and they were threatening us with weapons,” he said. “The police were there from the beginning and did not intervene. While the soldiers were pointing their weapons at us, the settlers started attacking the houses of the Palestinians.

“Hamdan tried to protect his family and the settlers attacked him. Soldiers started shooting in the air to prevent anyone to help Hamdan. He was shouting for help. They let the settlers attack him and then the army abducted him.”

Nasser’s Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham posted on X: “A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co director of our film no other land. They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since.”

This is not the first time that directors and member of crew of No Other Land have been attacked by settlers.

Last February, Adra was also surrounded and attacked by masked Israeli settlers.

Earlier on Monday, Adra wrote on X that “armed and masked settlers” were “leading a terror attack on Masafer Yatta” as he was writing.

“Dozens of settlers arrived at my friend Naser’s house in Susya, throwing stones at his home, smashing his vehicle, and slashing [the vehicle’s tyres with knives],” he added.

“We risked our life to film,” he said, noting that “soldiers are ordering us to stay inside our homes in the village, while those who attack and could’ve slaughtered the residents in their homes roam freely, masked, around the village”.

Israel’s culture minister has called the Oscar win for the joint Palestinian-Israeli documentary “a sad moment for the world of cinema”.

GenZ2002 on March 25th, 2025 at 01:37 UTC »

Arrested? It’s a fucking kidnapping

ALXS1989 on March 24th, 2025 at 22:08 UTC »

Talk about quite literally hammering home the point of the movie.

Mecha-Jesus on March 24th, 2025 at 21:27 UTC »

To clarify, he was apparently attacked by Israeli settlers at his home and was subsequently detained and disappeared by the Israeli military.

His Israeli co-director stated that the attack by the settlers left Ballal bleeding from the head. When an ambulance arrived for him, Israeli soldiers prevented medics from treating him, pulled him out of the ambulance, blindfolded him, forced him and another attack victim into a car, and drove away.

The Associated Press is reporting that they have received verified video showing part of the attack, which targeted both Jewish Israeli and Palestinian peace activists alike:

> Video provided by the Center for Jewish Nonviolence showed a masked settler shoving and swinging his fists at two activists from the group in a dusty field at night. The activists rush back to their car. “Get in, get in!” one shouts, and they duck inside as the thuds of rocks being thrown can be heard. “Car window was broken,” the driver says as they drive off.

The Israeli military has refused to comment or provide any information about Ballal’s whereabouts.

Edit: This is purportedly video of the attack from the peace activists’ perspective.