The brother of Hamdan Ballal, a co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was hospitalized Sunday after an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, renewing scrutiny of escalating violence in the region. The incident, which occurred in Susya, Masafer Yatta, comes less than a year after Ballal himself was injured in a similar attack following the film’s Academy Award win. The ongoing harassment and violence faced by Palestinian villagers in the area highlight the precarious situation for communities resisting displacement, a central theme of No Other Land.
According to Ballal, settlers with a history of harassing Palestinian villagers targeted his brother, Mohammed, while he was at home. “He gave the soldiers the order, and then they called my brother and pushed him down on the ground asking for his ID,” Ballal said, describing the events to reporters on Tuesday. “One of them held my brother round his neck and pushed very, very hard and so that my brother couldn’t catch his breath. His face turned blue and my nephews when they saw it were scared he would die, so they took him directly to hospital.” Mohammed Ballal was treated for trauma to his neck and bruising after being given oxygen at the hospital.
Escalating Tensions in Masafer Yatta
The attack on the Ballal family is the latest in a series of incidents in Masafer Yatta, a region in the South Hebron Hills where Palestinian communities face ongoing threats of displacement. The area has been the focus of intense legal battles over land rights, with Israeli settlers and the military accused of attempting to forcibly remove Palestinians from their homes. No Other Land documents these struggles, portraying the destruction of Palestinian communities and the challenges they face in resisting what activists describe as forced displacement. The film won the Berlinale Documentary Film Award in February 2024 and later the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in March 2024.
Following news of the attack, relatives of the Ballal family traveling to offer support were intercepted by the Israeli army. Ballal stated that two of his brothers, a nephew, and a cousin were detained, handcuffed, and blindfolded for three hours at a nearby army base before being released on a road frequently used by settlers, placing them at further risk.
IDF Response and Conflicting Accounts
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson confirmed the detentions, stating that Palestinians near Susya were detained after refusing to identify themselves to soldiers. Yet, the spokesperson denied allegations of assault or a raid on the Ballal family’s home. “We emphasise that, contrary to the claims, IDF soldiers did not assault them and did not raid their home,” the spokesperson said. This denial contrasts with Ballal’s account of the events, which details a direct assault facilitated by the presence of soldiers accompanying a local settler leader.
Recent Land Registry and Concerns Over ‘Ethnic Cleansing’
The incident comes amid heightened tensions following the Israeli government’s recent opening of a land registry for the West Bank on Sunday. This move, the first of its kind since Israel captured the territory from Jordan in 1967, allows Israelis to stake ownership claims to land in the occupied West Bank. The decision has drawn international criticism, with concerns raised that it violates Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its own civilian population into occupied territory. The Guardian reported that the move has drawn rebuke from around the world.
Human rights groups and a UN special rapporteur have described the broader campaign of settlement-building, intimidation, and village clearances in the West Bank as “ethnic cleansing.” The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported last week that the Israeli army has been issuing orders, at the behest of settlers, to prevent Palestinians from cultivating their land.
A Cycle of Violence and Displacement
Ballal expressed a sense of resignation, stating that the recent government measures are simply formalizing a long-standing reality for Palestinians in Masafer Yatta. “These laws, these decisions, are new for the media, but What we have is nothing new for us,” he said. While he acknowledged that the international attention garnered by No Other Land hasn’t immediately improved the situation on the ground, he hopes it will contribute to a shift in attitudes among future generations. “We hope the new generation can change [policy], but it will be in the future,” he said. “Some of those who watch the film and know the truth can [enter] government or diplomacy and do something and stop this maybe in the future.”
The situation in the West Bank remains volatile. The Israeli government is expected to continue implementing policies related to land registration and settlement expansion in the coming weeks. Further updates on the legal status of Masafer Yatta and the ongoing challenges faced by Palestinian communities can be found through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHAopt).
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