Three weeks ago, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal stood in front of the world’s cameras in Hollywood, accepting an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
On Tuesday, the cameras turned to him again, this time showing him with a bruised face, walking unsteadily away in bloodstained clothes after nearly 24 hours in Israeli detention.
The night before, he told reporters gathered outside that "settlers and soldiers were attacking my home," describing how they started "beating me and threatening me with guns." He added that the soldiers fired three shots into the air.
In detention, Hamdan said he was blindfolded and held beneath a cold air conditioner. Soldiers reportedly joked about his Oscar win during this time.
Just hours earlier, outside the hilltop farmhouse he shares with his wife and children, their grey family car was left with flattened tires, smashed windows, and torn-off wipers—a stark reminder of the violence that had unfolded the night before in Susya, located in the southern occupied West Bank.
Hamdan’s co-director, Basel Adra, stood outside the house on his phone, anxiously trying to gather information about his friend’s arrest. He explained how he arrived to help after hearing about the trouble the night before.
"I saw around 15 settlers vandalizing one of the homes, smashing the car, stabbing the water tanks, and throwing rocks at anyone moving," Basel recalled. "It was dangerous. I was afraid for my life. I started telling people to run away, and we scattered in different directions."
Basel said Hamdan had locked himself inside to protect his family but eventually realized he was bleeding and needed medical attention. He was then arrested.
Hamdan is a well-known journalist and activist, with colleagues saying he has previously been targeted by settlers.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that Monday’s violence started when "terrorists hurled rocks at Israeli citizens, damaging their vehicles." According to the IDF, this led to a violent confrontation involving "mutual rock-hurling between Palestinians and Israelis."
Josh Kimelman, a 28-year-old American who has been living in the West Bank for three months with the Centre for Jewish Non-Violence, disputes the IDF’s account of events.
"What I know is that Palestinian shepherds were harassed by settlers, and then a settler mob began attacking houses here," he said. Josh, from New Jersey, described how his group was attacked upon arrival.
"Our three friends got out of the car and were immediately attacked by settlers," Josh recounted. "One settler started it, then a mob of maybe 15 to 20 masked settlers followed. They punched one of my friends in the face and neck, hit another with a stick, shoved her, and started throwing rocks at our car."
Josh believes the attack was deliberate and coordinated.
"It was likely planned. You don't get a mob of 20 settlers attacking in the way they did without some pre-planning. They had specific targets in mind," he said.
Basel Adra noted that settler violence in the area has escalated in recent months.
"There have been 45 attacks since the beginning of the year, just in this small village—not even the entire Masafa Yatta area," he said. "It’s like hundreds of attacks, with something happening every day, leaving us living in constant fear."
"We are innocent people, living in our homes, surrounded by these terrorist settlers with guns and cars, while the army and police don’t protect us," Basel added.
After hearing that Hamdan had been released on bail but was heading to the hospital for further treatment, Basel showed me the Oscar statue they had received earlier in Los Angeles. While proud of their achievement, he expressed disappointment that the recognition didn’t help improve life on the ground.
"The movie reached the biggest stage in the world, and the name of Musafa Yatta became known," he said. "But that doesn’t help us here."
