Israel releases Oscar-winning #Palestinian director after he was attacked by West Bank settlers

By JULIA FRANKEL
Updated 11:55 AM EDT, March 25, 2025

HEBRON, #WestBank (AP) — "#Israeli authorities released an Oscar-winning Palestinian director who was detained by the army after being attacked by #JewishSettlers in the occupied West Bank. He said they beat him in front of his home while they filmed the assault.

"#HamdanBallal and the other directors of '#NoOtherLand,' which looks at the struggles of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, had mounted the stage at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month when it won the award for best documentary film.

"On Tuesday, with bruises on his face and blood on his clothes, he was released from an Israeli police station in the West Bank settlement of #KiryatArba. He and two other Palestinians who had been attacked and detained were taken to a nearby hospital.

"Ballal said he was held at an army base, blindfolded for 24 hours and forced to sleep under a freezing air conditioner.

"'All my body is pain,' he told The Associated Press. “I heard the voices of the soldiers, they were laughing about me … I heard ‘Oscar’ but I didn’t speak Hebrew.'

"Lea Tsemel, the attorney representing the three men, said they received only minimal care for their injuries from the attack and that she had no access to them for several hours after their arrest."

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-violence-settlers-oscar-hamdan-ballal-beb96478a55f42a7058a60ac5be7bd05
#IDFTerrorism #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal #FreePalestine #FreeGaza #IsraeliSettlers

#OscarWinning #Palestinian Film Co-Director Attacked by #IsraeliSettlers, Detained

March 25, 2025

"#HamdanBallal, the Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary #NoOtherLand, was attacked by illegal #Israeli Jewish settlers in the occupied #WestBank, Al-Jazeera Arabic website, and other sources reported on Monday.

"His fellow co-director, #YuvalAbraham, shared the details of the assault on social media, stating, 'A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co-director of our film No Other Land. They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding.'

"Ballal was severely beaten by the settlers and called for an ambulance. However, the situation took a dire turn when Israeli soldiers intervened and forcibly took him away.

"Abraham further explained, 'Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since.' As of now, there has been no information on Ballal’s whereabouts, leaving his colleagues and supporters increasingly concerned for his safety.

"No Other Land is a collaboration between Palestinian and #Israeli filmmakers that documents the destruction of #MasaferYatta, a village in the West Bank, by Israeli military forces.

"The documentary has won international acclaim, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. However, the film has also faced backlash and controversy, especially in Israel.

"A video released by the #CenterForJewishNonviolence shows masked settlers attacking Jewish activists with stones and sticks. The activists, including those filming the incident, were targeted and their car windows were smashed.

"One of the activists, Josh Kimelman, spoke to the Associated Press, stating, 'We don’t know where Hamdan is because he was taken away in a blindfold.' The Israeli military has claimed that it is investigating the incident but has not provided any additional information on the matter."

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/oscar-winning-palestinian-film-co-director-attacked-by-israeli-settlers-detained/
#IDFTerrorism #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal #FreePalestine #FreeGaza

#Israel’s “Culture of Cruelty” Inspires the #FarRight Worldwide, Says #PankajMishra

“The World After Gaza” author on what Israel’s war reveals about power, violence, and who sets the rules on the world stage.

The Intercept Briefing
March 22 2025, 6:00 a.m.

"After breaking a two-month ceasefire, Israel launched an assault on #Gaza on Tuesday, killing more than 400 people in pre-dawn strikes. The death toll continues to climb as airstrikes persist, and Israel pushes forward with a ground invasion. At least 200 children have been killed in recent attacks, according to UNICEF.
The assault — the deadliest in over a year — came after Donald #Trump gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu the green light to break the #ceasefire. Netanyahu has warned, 'This is only the beginning.'

"Author Pankaj Mishra argues Israel operates within a 'culture of impunity,' emboldened by global #FarRight movements that admire Israel’s 'brazen cruelty.'

"This week on The Intercept Briefing, reporter Jonah Valdez speaks to Mishra about his latest book, 'The World After Gaza,' which examines how the war on Gaza isn’t just another conflict — it’s a turning point reshaping global politics, exposing institutional failures, and forcing a reckoning over who sets the rules on the world stage.

"'Some of the worst people in the world today are drawn to Israel,' Mishra says.

"Not because they believe in Zionism, not because they are protective of Jewish population of Israel, but because Israel again represents to them — embodies this opportunity to take whatever you can and hold on to it using extreme violence if necessary.'"

Original article:
https://theintercept.com/2025/03/22/briefing-podcast-pankaj-mishra-gaza/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/StP9q

Link to podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-intercept-briefing/id1195206601
https://open.spotify.com/show/2js8lwDRiK1TB4rUgiYb24?si=e3ce772344ee4170&nd=1&dlsi=51695dbdc8454ade

So, I called the death of #AysenurEygi to be an assassination by the #IDF. Given what's going on with #MahmoudKhalil, I stand by that statement.
#IsraeliWarCrimes #IDFTerrorism #USPol #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingDissent #StandWithStandingRock #StandWithPalestine #Protestors #HumanRightsViolations