One of the co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land has been injured and detained after a conflict that took place on the West Bank, according to his fellow filmmaker and an activist group.
Israeli director Yuval Abraham claimed on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday that a group of settlers had beaten Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who was later detained by members of the Israeli military. “He has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding,” Abraham wrote.
The alleged violence took place on Monday night in the village of Susiya, which is Ballal’s hometown, in the Masafer Yatta area. The activist group Center for Jewish Nonviolence said later that day that after residents of the village encouraged a single settler to leave, dozens — some masked, some carrying weapons like knives and an assault rifle — allegedly appeared and attacked a couple of homes, stealing security cameras and battering water tanks.
The IDF offered a different version of events in its own statement on Monday, saying the violence started after “several terrorists hurled rocks at Israeli citizens, damaging their vehicles.” Both sides began throwing rocks at one another, and as IDF and Israeli police arrived at the conflict, “several terrorists began hurling rocks at the security forces.”
Both parties agree that three Palestinians were detained after the conflict.
Ballal, injured in the attack, is currently being held in a police station, per the Center for Jewish Nonviolence. Five American activists working on a project with the organization arrived on the scene during the attack and they too were attacked by settlers, the organization, which sent photographs and video to buttress its account, said.
The IDF added that an Israeli citizen was also detained after the conflict, but that person was evacuated to receive medical care. “The detainees were taken for further questioning by the Israel Police,” the IDF said.
“We demand Ballal’s immediate release and that his family and community be informed about his condition, location and the justification for his detention,” said the International Documentary Association in a statement on Monday night.
No Other Land, directed by four filmmakers — two Israeli, two Palestinian — took home the prize for best documentary at the 97th annual Academy Awards on March 2. The film documents the forced displacement of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, as well as a budding friendship between a Palestinian activist and Israeli journalist, between 2019 and 2023.
Despite its Oscar win, No Other Land has yet to be picked up by a major U.S. distributor. Co-director Abraham has suggested that the lack of U.S. interest in picking up the project is due to the film’s criticism of Israeli military and political actions.
3:26 p.m. Updated to include IDF statement.
7:13 p.m. Updated to include IDA statement.