Palestinian filmmaker attacked by settlers, detained by Israeli forces
WEST BANK, Palestine (MNTV) – Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was reportedly attacked by Israeli settlers before being detained by Israeli forces, according to eyewitness accounts from activists present at the scene.
The Center for Jewish Nonviolence stated that Ballal’s home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was surrounded by settlers during an attack on Monday.
Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham, Ballal’s co-director, reported that Ballal was assaulted and later taken away by soldiers while in an ambulance.
However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), infamous for aiding settlers’ assaults and falsifying information, denied detaining any Palestinian from an ambulance.
Without specifically naming Ballal, the IDF stated that three Palestinians and an Israeli were detained for allegedly throwing rocks at security forces.
Five American Jewish activists with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence said masked settlers initiated the attack in the village of Susya around 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT).
The activists, who had gone to document the incident, reported that settlers shattered their vehicle’s windows and physically assaulted them.
Abraham stated that several people were injured, and properties sustained damage due to the assault. One activist told the BBC that Israeli soldiers eventually intervened, prompting the settlers to withdraw.
The IDF later confirmed that its personnel and police forces had arrived to disperse the confrontation, during which stones were thrown at security forces.
“In response, forces apprehended three Palestinians suspected of rock-throwing, as well as an Israeli civilian involved in the altercation,” the IDF said, adding that an Israeli citizen was injured and received medical treatment.
No Other Land, which won Best Documentary at the 97th Academy Awards, examines the struggle over Masafer Yatta, a cluster of Palestinian villages threatened by displacement.
The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, with Israeli settlements expanding despite their status as illegal under international law, a designation disputed by Israel.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, settler violence against Palestinians has escalated significantly.
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