Oscar-Winning Palestinian Director Freed After West Bank Arrest During Alleged Settler Violence
Hamdan Ballal, the Oscar-winning Palestinian co-director of the acclaimed documentary “No Other Land,” was released from police custody on Tuesday, a day after being injured and arrested during an Israeli settler raid on his village in the West Bank.
Ballal said he was documenting a group of settlers attacking a neighbor’s home in Susiya, a village near Hebron, on Monday. After ensuring his house was safe, he was confronted by more settlers. “I was just waiting outside, if any settlers or any army were attacking my home,” Ballal told Reuters after being freed. He said he was forcibly pushed to the ground, with soldiers yelling at him to stand as they pointed guns in his direction.
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Shortly before Ballal’s arrest, settlers had disrupted an Iftar meal—marking the end of daily Ramadan fasting—according to Susiya council head Jihad Nawajaa. “Dozens of settlers attacked the gathering at Iftar,” he said, noting at least eight injuries among the Palestinians. Some 10 sheep were also reported stolen in the attack.
Israeli police confirmed three men, including Ballal, were arrested, alleging they had thrown rocks at the settlers and later at soldiers. The Israeli military said in a statement that it intervened after “Israeli citizens” were targeted and that one Israeli “involved in the violent confrontation” was also taken into custody. They denied allegations that anyone had been arrested from an ambulance.
Ballal co-directed “No Other Land,” which won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary. The film centers on the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community, a theme that has fueled speculation among locals that settlers sought to exact retribution for the documentary’s revelations.
