Israeli police interrogated a Palestinian director of an Oscar-winning documentary on Tuesday, following reports from witnesses who claimed that Israeli settlers assaulted him near his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Hamdan Ballal, 37, one of the directors of the film No Other Land, along with two other Palestinians, was detained on suspicion of throwing stones at Israeli vehicles and injuring a settler. The accusations were denied by the detainees, according to their lawyer, Leah Tsemel.
A settler, a minor, was also detained but released for medical treatment, with plans for further questioning by the police.
The incident’s details remain unclear, but Palestinian witnesses and a group of American activists at the scene said that prior to his arrest, Ballal was attacked by a group of masked assailants who had targeted his home village of Susya.
This episode highlighted the escalating settler violence in the West Bank. Over the past year, Jewish extremists have been involved in various acts of violence, including stone-throwing, arson, and vandalism of Palestinian homes. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported over 1,000 incidents of settler violence in 2024.
The Israeli military and Palestinians provided differing accounts of the events. The Israeli military claimed that stones had been thrown at Israeli vehicles, sparking a violent clash. Palestinian witnesses said the confrontation started when villagers attempted to remove Israeli shepherds from land they claimed, which escalated when masked Israelis attacked Palestinian homes.
Two American activists, Josh Kimelman and Joseph Kaplan Weinger, were present and reported that the attackers surrounded their car and smashed it with stones. They were near Ballal’s house at the time.
Tsemel, the lawyer for the detainees, spoke with her clients, and Ballal explained that an Israeli assailant punched him, knocking him down, and continued to beat him while he was on the ground. Ballal also mentioned receiving medical treatment at an Israeli military facility before being detained, handcuffed, and blindfolded.
Basel Adra, another director of the documentary, was also at the scene and shared video footage of Ballal being escorted blindfolded by Israeli forces to vehicles. Adra claimed that Israeli soldiers and police did little to intervene as the masked assailants continued their attack, even as they attempted to disperse the Palestinians. The Israeli military did not comment on these claims.
Ballal was one of the four directors of the documentary, which won the Academy Award for best documentary this month. The film highlights the destruction of homes in the West Bank, particularly in Masafer Yatta, by Israeli forces, who are claiming the area for military training.
Palestinian residents, including those from Ballal’s village, had taken their case to the Israeli Supreme Court in late 2023, accusing Israeli security forces of failing to protect them from repeated attacks. The court expressed concern over this failure and ruled that the government must ensure protection against future assaults, despite the complex situation.Israeli police interrogated a Palestinian director of an Oscar-winning documentary on Tuesday, following reports from witnesses who claimed that Israeli settlers assaulted him near his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Hamdan Ballal, 37, one of the directors of the film No Other Land, along with two other Palestinians, was detained on suspicion of throwing stones at Israeli vehicles and injuring a settler. The accusations were denied by the detainees, according to their lawyer, Leah Tsemel.
A settler, a minor, was also detained but released for medical treatment, with plans for further questioning by the police.
The incident’s details remain unclear, but Palestinian witnesses and a group of American activists at the scene said that prior to his arrest, Ballal was attacked by a group of masked assailants who had targeted his home village of Susya.
This episode highlighted the escalating settler violence in the West Bank. Over the past year, Jewish extremists have been involved in various acts of violence, including stone-throwing, arson, and vandalism of Palestinian homes. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported over 1,000 incidents of settler violence in 2024.
The Israeli military and Palestinians provided differing accounts of the events. The Israeli military claimed that stones had been thrown at Israeli vehicles, sparking a violent clash. Palestinian witnesses said the confrontation started when villagers attempted to remove Israeli shepherds from land they claimed, which escalated when masked Israelis attacked Palestinian homes.
Two American activists, Josh Kimelman and Joseph Kaplan Weinger, were present and reported that the attackers surrounded their car and smashed it with stones. They were near Ballal’s house at the time.
Tsemel, the lawyer for the detainees, spoke with her clients, and Ballal explained that an Israeli assailant punched him, knocking him down, and continued to beat him while he was on the ground. Ballal also mentioned receiving medical treatment at an Israeli military facility before being detained, handcuffed, and blindfolded.
Basel Adra, another director of the documentary, was also at the scene and shared video footage of Ballal being escorted blindfolded by Israeli forces to vehicles. Adra claimed that Israeli soldiers and police did little to intervene as the masked assailants continued their attack, even as they attempted to disperse the Palestinians. The Israeli military did not comment on these claims.
Ballal was one of the four directors of the documentary, which won the Academy Award for best documentary this month. The film highlights the destruction of homes in the West Bank, particularly in Masafer Yatta, by Israeli forces, who are claiming the area for military training.
Palestinian residents, including those from Ballal’s village, had taken their case to the Israeli Supreme Court in late 2023, accusing Israeli security forces of failing to protect them from repeated attacks. The court expressed concern over this failure and ruled that the government must ensure protection against future assaults, despite the complex situation.Israeli police interrogated a Palestinian director of an Oscar-winning documentary on Tuesday, following reports from witnesses who claimed that Israeli settlers assaulted him near his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Hamdan Ballal, 37, one of the directors of the film No Other Land, along with two other Palestinians, was detained on suspicion of throwing stones at Israeli vehicles and injuring a settler. The accusations were denied by the detainees, according to their lawyer, Leah Tsemel.
A settler, a minor, was also detained but released for medical treatment, with plans for further questioning by the police.
The incident’s details remain unclear, but Palestinian witnesses and a group of American activists at the scene said that prior to his arrest, Ballal was attacked by a group of masked assailants who had targeted his home village of Susya.
This episode highlighted the escalating settler violence in the West Bank. Over the past year, Jewish extremists have been involved in various acts of violence, including stone-throwing, arson, and vandalism of Palestinian homes. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported over 1,000 incidents of settler violence in 2024.
The Israeli military and Palestinians provided differing accounts of the events. The Israeli military claimed that stones had been thrown at Israeli vehicles, sparking a violent clash. Palestinian witnesses said the confrontation started when villagers attempted to remove Israeli shepherds from land they claimed, which escalated when masked Israelis attacked Palestinian homes.
Two American activists, Josh Kimelman and Joseph Kaplan Weinger, were present and reported that the attackers surrounded their car and smashed it with stones. They were near Ballal’s house at the time.
Tsemel, the lawyer for the detainees, spoke with her clients, and Ballal explained that an Israeli assailant punched him, knocking him down, and continued to beat him while he was on the ground. Ballal also mentioned receiving medical treatment at an Israeli military facility before being detained, handcuffed, and blindfolded.
Basel Adra, another director of the documentary, was also at the scene and shared video footage of Ballal being escorted blindfolded by Israeli forces to vehicles. Adra claimed that Israeli soldiers and police did little to intervene as the masked assailants continued their attack, even as they attempted to disperse the Palestinians. The Israeli military did not comment on these claims.
Ballal was one of the four directors of the documentary, which won the Academy Award for best documentary this month. The film highlights the destruction of homes in the West Bank, particularly in Masafer Yatta, by Israeli forces, who are claiming the area for military training.
Palestinian residents, including those from Ballal’s village, had taken their case to the Israeli Supreme Court in late 2023, accusing Israeli security forces of failing to protect them from repeated attacks. The court expressed concern over this failure and ruled that the government must ensure protection against future assaults, despite the complex situation.Israeli police interrogated a Palestinian director of an Oscar-winning documentary on Tuesday, following reports from witnesses who claimed that Israeli settlers assaulted him near his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Hamdan Ballal, 37, one of the directors of the film No Other Land, along with two other Palestinians, was detained on suspicion of throwing stones at Israeli vehicles and injuring a settler. The accusations were denied by the detainees, according to their lawyer, Leah Tsemel.
A settler, a minor, was also detained but released for medical treatment, with plans for further questioning by the police.
The incident’s details remain unclear, but Palestinian witnesses and a group of American activists at the scene said that prior to his arrest, Ballal was attacked by a group of masked assailants who had targeted his home village of Susya.
This episode highlighted the escalating settler violence in the West Bank. Over the past year, Jewish extremists have been involved in various acts of violence, including stone-throwing, arson, and vandalism of Palestinian homes. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported over 1,000 incidents of settler violence in 2024.
The Israeli military and Palestinians provided differing accounts of the events. The Israeli military claimed that stones had been thrown at Israeli vehicles, sparking a violent clash. Palestinian witnesses said the confrontation started when villagers attempted to remove Israeli shepherds from land they claimed, which escalated when masked Israelis attacked Palestinian homes.
Two American activists, Josh Kimelman and Joseph Kaplan Weinger, were present and reported that the attackers surrounded their car and smashed it with stones. They were near Ballal’s house at the time.
Tsemel, the lawyer for the detainees, spoke with her clients, and Ballal explained that an Israeli assailant punched him, knocking him down, and continued to beat him while he was on the ground. Ballal also mentioned receiving medical treatment at an Israeli military facility before being detained, handcuffed, and blindfolded.
Basel Adra, another director of the documentary, was also at the scene and shared video footage of Ballal being escorted blindfolded by Israeli forces to vehicles. Adra claimed that Israeli soldiers and police did little to intervene as the masked assailants continued their attack, even as they attempted to disperse the Palestinians. The Israeli military did not comment on these claims.
Ballal was one of the four directors of the documentary, which won the Academy Award for best documentary this month. The film highlights the destruction of homes in the West Bank, particularly in Masafer Yatta, by Israeli forces, who are claiming the area for military training.
Palestinian residents, including those from Ballal’s village, had taken their case to the Israeli Supreme Court in late 2023, accusing Israeli security forces of failing to protect them from repeated attacks. The court expressed concern over this failure and ruled that the government must ensure protection against future assaults, despite the complex situation.