'No Other Land' filmmaker Hamdan Ballal detained by Israeli forces after he was allegedly attacked by settlers

Filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, 1 of the 2 Palestinian co-directors down the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” was detained Monday successful the occupied West Bank by the Israeli subject aft helium was allegedly brutally attacked by settlers.

Israeli writer Yuval Abraham, who co-directed “No Other Land,” wrote Monday connected X that “a radical of settlers conscionable lynched” his collaborator. “They bushed him and helium has injuries successful his caput and stomach, bleeding.”

“Soldiers invaded the ambulance helium called, and took him,” Abraham added successful his post, which was shared successful English and Hebrew. “No motion of him since.”

Anna Lippman, a delegate for the activistic radical Center for Jewish Nonviolence who recorded and shared video of the onslaught Monday, told The Times via societal media that much than a twelve settlers attacked the Palestinian colony Susiya successful the Masafer Yatta area, destroying property. During the onslaught Monday evening, Ballal was “injured by settlers.” He was receiving attraction successful an ambulance for injuries to his head, which included swelling and bleeding, erstwhile “soldiers came and took him and 2 different Palestinian men from Susiya,” Lippman said.

“We bash not cognize wherever helium is oregon his condition,” she added Monday.

The Center for Jewish Nonviolence shared dashcam footage connected Bluesky of idiosyncratic shoving 3 radical and punching 1 subordinate of the group. The video aboriginal shows a idiosyncratic — whose look is covered by a disguise — joined by respective others, picking an entity from the crushed and hurling it astatine the vehicle, destroying the windshield. Video recorded and shared by Lippman shows an alternate space of the confrontation.

Activist Josh Kimelman, who was contiguous during the confrontation, told the Associated Press Monday, “We don’t cognize wherever Hamdan is due to the fact that helium was taken distant successful a blindfold.”

Abraham did not instantly respond to The Times’ petition for further comment.

In a connection shared to The Times, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said a “violent confrontation” broke retired successful Susiya aft respective radical it described arsenic “terrorists” allegedly hurled rocks astatine Israeli citizens and damaged their vehicles. The incidental progressive “mutual rock-hurling betwixt Palestinians and Israelis astatine the scene,” the connection said. IDF said its members and Israel constabulary responded “to disperse the confrontation,” and that the radical it described arsenic “terrorists” allegedly started hurling rocks their way.

IDF and Israel constabulary detained 3 Palestinians and an Israeli idiosyncratic allegedly progressive successful the confrontation. The 4 detainees were taken for further questioning by Israel constabulary and 1 Israeli idiosyncratic was evacuated to person aesculapian treatment, according to the statement. IDF besides denied allegations that a Palestinian was detained from wrong an ambulance.

The Times has confirmed that Ballal was so among the 3 radical detained Monday evening. He was detained connected suspicion of hurling rocks astatine IDF and police.

Support for Ballal poured successful Monday day arsenic quality of his detainment spread. Palestinian activistic Basel Adra, who besides co-directed and appears successful “No Other Land,” tweeted astir Ballal’s apprehension and shared a photograph of a idiosyncratic with some hands down their backmost being escorted into a conveyance adorned with an Israeli flag. He said his collaborator “is inactive missing aft soldiers abducted him, injured and bleeding.”

He added: “This is however they erase Masafer Yatta.”

The International Documentary Assn. released a statement successful enactment of Ballal, who they allege was “violently attacked and kidnapped successful the West Bank,” and urged his release. The missive besides demanded that the filmmaker’s household and assemblage “be informed astir his condition, location, and the justification for his detention.”

“No Other Land,” directed by Abraham, Ballal, Adra and Israeli filmmaker Rachel Szor, is simply a harrowing documentary that chronicles Israel’s demolition of Palestinian villages successful Masafer Yatta to marque mode for an Israeli subject grooming ground, displacing families and communities. The movie won the documentary grant astatine the 2025 Academy Awards.

Recently, “No Other Land” recovered itself successful the halfway of hostility successful the Miami Beach cinema scene. Earlier this month, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner threatened to propulsion assistance backing from the O Cinema and extremity its lease connected city-owned spot if it screened the documentary. In a missive sent to the movie house, Meiner called the movie “a one-sided propaganda onslaught connected the Jewish radical that is not accordant with the values of our City and residents.”

Meiner withdrew his threats past week.

In a statement, Abraham deed backmost astatine Meiner’s erstwhile disapproval that “No Other Land” was “egregiously antisemitic.”

“When the politician uses the connection ‘antisemitism’ to soundlessness Palestinians and Israelis who proudly reason concern and apartheid together, warring for justness and equality, helium is emptying it retired of meaning. I find that to beryllium precise dangerous.

“Censorship is ever wrong,” Abraham added. “We made this movie to scope U.S. audiences from a wide assortment of governmental views. I judge that erstwhile you spot the harsh world of concern successful Masafer Yatta successful the West Bank, it becomes intolerable to warrant it, and that’s wherefore the politician is truthful acrophobic of ‘No Other Land.’ It won’t work. Banning a movie lone makes radical much determined to spot it.”

Times unit writer Mark Olsen contributed to this report.