The Israeli police questioned a Palestinian director of an Oscar-winning documentary on Tuesday, following reports of an attack by Israeli settlers near his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamdan Ballal, 37, one of the directors of the film “No Other Land,” was detained along with two other Palestinians on suspicion of throwing stones at Israeli vehicles and injuring a settler, allegations they all deny, according to their lawyer, Leah Tsemel.
In addition, one minor settler was also detained but was released for medical treatment and is expected to be questioned later, as stated by the Israeli police.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. Palestinian witnesses and American activists present reported that Mr. Ballal was attacked by a group of masked assailants in his home village of Susya prior to his arrest.
This incident highlights the increasing violence from settlers in the West Bank. Over the past year, there have been numerous reports of Jewish extremists attacking Palestinians, setting vehicles ablaze, and vandalizing homes. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented over 1,000 incidents of settler violence in 2024 alone.
In a shift in policy, President Trump has adopted a more lenient approach towards settler violence, reversing sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on individuals accused of violent acts against Palestinians. A confirmation hearing for Mike Huckabee, Mr. Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Israel, is scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Huckabee is known for his support of settlement expansion.
Conflicting narratives have emerged regarding the initiation of the confrontation. The Israeli military described the incident as a violent clash initiated by “several terrorists” throwing stones at Israeli vehicles, leading to reciprocal violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Conversely, Nasser Nawaja, a fieldworker for the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, stated that the confrontation started when local residents attempted to remove Israeli shepherds from land claimed by the village. Following this, masked Israelis allegedly joined the fray, attacking Palestinian homes.
Two American activists, Josh Kimelman and Joseph Kaplan Weinger, reported that they responded to distress calls from Palestinians during the attack and were also targeted, with their vehicle being damaged by stones. They were reportedly near Mr. Ballal’s residence at the time.
Ms. Tsemel, the lawyer for the detainees, indicated that Mr. Ballal had informed her of being assaulted by an Israeli assailant, who knocked him to the ground and continued the attack. After receiving medical attention at an Israeli military facility, Mr. Ballal was reportedly held handcuffed and blindfolded at a detention center.
Basel Adra, another director of the documentary, was present during the incident and shared video footage purportedly showing Mr. Ballal being escorted by Israeli forces. He claimed that Israeli soldiers and police did little to intervene against the masked assailants while attempting to disperse the Palestinian residents. The Israeli military has not yet responded to these allegations.
Mr. Ballal is one of four directors, including Mr. Adra, Rachel Szor, and Yuval Abraham, who recently received the Academy Award for Best Documentary for their film, which depicts the demolition of homes belonging to West Bank residents in the Masafer Yatta area by Israeli forces, who claim the land for military training purposes.
In response to ongoing violence, Palestinian residents in the southern West Bank, including those from Mr. Ballal’s village, appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court at the end of 2023, arguing that Israeli security forces were failing to protect them from attacks, leading to displacement. The court expressed concern over the lack of protection and mandated that the Israeli government, including military forces, must safeguard Palestinians against future violence, even amidst the complex circumstances of the current period.