Palestinian behind Oscar-winning documentary arrested by Israeli army — co-director

By AFP - Mar 25,2025 - Last updated at Mar 25,2025

Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham, US producer Rachel Szor, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, Palestinian journalist and filmmaker Basel Adra (left to right) pose in the press room with the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for “No Other Land“ during the 97th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 2, 2025 (AFP photo)

JERUSALEM — The Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land" was attacked by settlers and arrested by the Israeli army on Monday in the occupied West Bank, according to his co-director Yuval Abraham.

In a post on X, Abraham said a "group of settlers" had set upon Ballal.

"They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since," Abraham wrote.

The incident took place in the southern West Bank village of Susiya, according to the anti-occupation NGO Center for Jewish Nonviolence, whose members said they filmed the events first-hand.

The army said it was verifying the information when questioned by AFP.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

"No Other Land", which was directed by Israeli-Palestinian activists, won best documentary at this year's Academy Awards.

Shot in nearby Masafer Yatta, the documentary follows a young Palestinian struggling with forced displacement as the Israeli army tears down his community's homes to make space for a firing zone.

The Israeli army declared Masafer Yatta a restricted military zone in the 1980s.

The West Bank, excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, is home to around three million Palestinians as well as nearly half a million Israelis who live in settlements that are illegal under international law.

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