Palestinian Oscar Winner Assaulted by Israeli Settlers, Then Detained by Authorities

Palestinian Oscar Winner Hamdan Ballal Attacked by Israeli Settlers, Then Detained by Military, Activists Claim

Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, one of the co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was allegedly assaulted by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank before being detained by Israeli security forces, according to activists present at the scene.

The Center for Jewish Nonviolence (CJNV) reported that Ballal’s home in the village of Susya was surrounded by settlers during a violent attack on Monday evening. Co-director Yuval Abraham stated that Ballal was beaten by settlers before being taken by Israeli soldiers while inside an ambulance. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied detaining any Palestinian from an ambulance.

The IDF confirmed that three Palestinians and one Israeli were taken into custody on suspicion of throwing stones at security forces. An activist who witnessed the incident told the BBC that Ballal and the other detained Palestinians were actually injured during the settler attack and are currently being held at an Israeli police station in the West Bank, where they are undergoing interrogation. The detainees have been given legal representation.

The attack reportedly began around 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT) when a group of approximately a dozen masked settlers launched an assault on the village. Five Jewish American activists from CJNV, who were present to document the event, claimed that they too were attacked, with settlers smashing their car windows and striking them with sticks.

Abraham, an Israeli filmmaker who co-directed No Other Land with Ballal, stated that multiple individuals were injured, and properties sustained damage in the attack.