Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, one of the co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, in the occupied West Bank, an activist group reported on Monday.
According to the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, Ballal was surrounded and assaulted by around 15 armed settlers in Susiya, in the Masafer Yatta area south of Hebron. Witnesses, including Jewish American activists, said some settlers wore military uniforms and chased him to his house before handing him over to Israeli soldiers.
Ballal and two other Palestinians were later detained by the Israeli military but were released on Tuesday. The army claimed they were involved in hurling rocks at security forces, a charge denied by eyewitnesses interviewed by news outlets, including the Associated Press.
Ballal co-directed No Other Land, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary this year. The film highlights the struggles of Masafer Yatta residents against Israeli efforts to demolish their homes.
