Oscar Winner Attacked in West Bank

In a harrowing account, Oscar-winning Palestinian film director Hamdan Ballal revealed that two Israeli soldiers assisted settlers during a brutal attack against him in the West Bank. The incident unfolded outside his home, where he was reportedly beaten with the butts of rifles and threatened with death.

Ballal, who co-directed the acclaimed documentary *No Other Land*, which highlights the destruction of Palestinian villages, spoke to The Guardian about the shocking events that transpired on Monday evening. Having just completed his Ramadan fast in Susya, located in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron, Ballal was alerted by a phone call that settlers had invaded his village.

Witnesses indicated that some settlers were armed, wielding batons and knives, while one displayed an M16 rifle. Disturbingly, they were escorted by soldiers who guided them into the community where Ballal resides. As a human rights activist and photographer affiliated with the organization Haqel: in Defense of Human Rights, Ballal felt compelled to document the unfolding crisis. However, things quickly escalated when masked settlers began attacking both Palestinian residents and a group of Jewish activists, vandalizing vehicles in the process.

Concerned for his family's safety, Ballal rushed home to ensure his wife and children were secured inside. He feared that attacking him would leave his family exposed to harm. Instead, as he called for help, soldiers reportedly fired shots into the air to dissuade others from intervening.

In a chilling encounter, Ballal described how he was assaulted first by a settler, then by the soldiers who were meant to maintain order. "The soldiers pointed their rifles at me while the settler from behind began beating me," he recounted, adding that the soldier struck him with the butt of his rifle and threatened to shoot him. "In that moment, I thought I was going to die."

Ballal and two other Palestinians were subsequently detained by the soldiers, who transported them to a police station in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. During his time in detention, Ballal reported suffering additional beatings from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel, which he believed was retaliation for the success of his film. “I heard the voices of the soldiers laughing and mentioning the word 'Oscar,'" he stated.

Though Israeli officials denied Ballal's allegations of mistreatment, claiming that proper medical care was rendered, he faced significant physical and emotional trauma following the attack. His attorney, Lea Tsemel, corroborated claims that minimal care was provided and access to her clients was severely restricted after their arrest.

The attack against Ballal comes in the aftermath of *No Other Land* winning the Best Documentary award at the 97th Academy Awards, a moment that some see as provoking hostility toward the filmmakers by those opposed to the film’s portrayal of Israeli settlement violence. “We won the Oscar just three weeks ago, and the violence has escalated—not just against me, but against all the residents,” Ballal lamented.

The situation in Masafer Yatta is dire; the Israeli military has labeled the area a live-fire training zone since the 1980s and frequently demolishes homes, threatening the existence of its roughly 1,000 residents. Reports from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence detail numerous settler attacks in Susya this year alone, exacerbating an already tense state of affairs in the region.

As violence continues to rise, Ballal expressed his fears for both his safety and that of his community, stating, "The settlers will continue to attack us. After what they did to me, I fear it could also happen to others."

This alarming incident underscores the ongoing conflict in the West Bank, raising questions about the targeting of individuals for their activism and the broader implications for Palestinian communities living under constant threat of violence.