AP Jerusalem

Israeli settlers assaulted Hamdan Ballal, a Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," in the occupied West Bank. Ballal and two other Palestinians were subsequently detained by the Israeli military in Susiya village. Attorney Leah Tsemmel reported they are held at a military base, and she has been unable to contact them.  

Basel Adra, another co-director who witnessed the incident, said around two dozen settlers, some masked and armed, attacked the village. He alleged soldiers pointed guns at Palestinians while settlers threw stones. "We came back from the Oscars and every day since then, there has been an attack on us," Adra told the Associated Press, suggesting the attacks are retaliation for the film.  

The Israeli military claimed they detained three Palestinians for throwing rocks and one Israeli civilian involved in a "violent confrontation”, a claim disputed by witnesses. They said the individuals were transferred to Israeli police for questioning.   "No Other Land" documents the struggle of Masafer Yatta residents against village demolitions. Ballal and Adra, from Masafer Yatta, co-directed the film with Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. The film, which won an Oscar for best documentary, has received international acclaim but also criticism.  

Adra said  the settlers entered the village after residents broke the Ramadan fast. He recounted that a settler, accompanied by the military, approached Ballal’s home. Soldiers fired shots, and Ballal’s wife heard him being beaten and shouting. Adra saw Ballal, handcuffed and blindfolded, being taken away. He described blood on the ground outside Ballal's home. An anonymous eyewitness corroborated parts of Adra's account. Activists from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence reported being attacked by masked settlers, who damaged their vehicles.