No Other Land Co-Director Hamdan Ballal Released by Israeli Authorities After Attack by West Bank Settlers

Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary There are no other landsHe was released from detention at a police station in a settlement on the West Bank of Kiryat Arba, the Associated Press reported.

According to an AP’s ground journalist, Baral was released on Tuesday afternoon with a wounded face and bloody clothing. Lee Zemmer, a lawyer representing Baral and two other Palestinians, said they were accused of throwing stones at young settlers. They deny the allegations.

Palestinian residents told The Associated Press that 20 settlers attacked the village in the West Bank on Monday evening, as they had broken quickly during Ramadan. Residents also allege that soldiers who arrived at the scene pointed guns at the Palestinians as settlers continued to throw stones.

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On Monday, Israeli forces confirmed they have obtained custody of Israeli civilians involved in “violent conflict” with three Palestinians suspected of throwing stones at their troops.

The Associated Press also spoke to Ramia, Hamdan Baral’s wife. Lamia recalls seeing three uniformed men with rifle booty in civilian clothing that appeared to be filming the attack.

“Of course, after the Oscars, they started attacking us more,” she said. “I felt fear.”

In a tweet posted Monday, Ballal collaborator Yuval Abraham wrote that he wrote Ballal “just a group of liberators lynched.” He continued, “They beat him, and he suffered injuries to his head and stomach, and he bleed. The soldiers broke into the ambulance he called and took him there.”

He later said, “(Balal) is injured and is in custody at the police station of the settlement. They hadn’t let his lawyer speak to him yet, so we didn’t know more.”

Born in Palestine, Baral co-directed There are no other lands As part of a group of four Palestine and Israeli activists, including Abraham. The film documents the systematic demolition of a Palestinian home on the West Bank between 2019 and 2023. It is mainly spoken from the perspective of Basel Adra.

At the Academy Awards earlier this month, There are no other lands It has achieved the best documentary features.