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Israel attacks Basel Adra, director of Oscar-nominated 'No Other Land' in West Bank
The Palestinian director of an Oscar-nominated documentary set in the occupied West Bank was surrounded and attacked by masked Israeli settlers on Monday.
'No Other Land' director Basel Adra published a statement on X along with video footage saying "armed and masked settlers" were "leading a terror attack on Masafer Yatta" as he was writing.
"Dozens of settlers arrived at my friend Naser’s house in Susya, throwing stones at his home, smashing his vehicle, and slashing [tyres with knives]," he added.
In a series of subsequent posts, Adra said the armed settlers had punctured water tanks, while more settlers in vehicles arrived and attacked homes while families inside "screamed for help".
"…We risked our life to film," he said, noting that "soldiers are ordering us to stay inside our homes in the village, while those who attack and could’ve slaughtered the residents in their homes roam freely, masked, around the village."
Adra frequently raises awareness about his village of Masafer Yatta, which was the focus of his documentary.
The documentary covers his struggles as a Palestinian journalist as he tries to save his village from Israeli settlers, who constantly launch attacks on it and forcibly displace citizens.
The film, co-produced with Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham, garnered praise at many international events and film festivals.
On Sunday, Adra announced they decided to independently release the film in the US after the film could not find a US distributor.
The film includes archival footage from Adra’s family as well as destruction carried out by Israel between 2019 and 2023.
Earlier this year, Adra told reporters he would love to see the film earn an Oscar nomination to help spread awareness on the issues it highlights and to help find a US distributor for it.
"I really advise everybody in the US who has heard about No Other Land to watch it. It’s important for people to watch it so they can understand what’s going on" he told Variety.
"…Don’t just watch it to feel sad or sorry for us, but to join our struggle and our movement and take action. Especially in the US which, as a country, is a main player in what’s going on" he continued.
Abraham previously told Variety that he, as an Israeli, thought it was a "really good thing" that the film was very critical of Israeli policies.
"…We need to be critical of these policies so they can change. But I think the conversation in the US appears to be far less nuanced – there is much less space for this kind of criticism, even when it comes in the form of a film," he said.
Masafer Yatta has long been attacked by Israeli settlers and its residents forcibly expelled in what has been heavily condemned by human rights groups.
Hours after the film was nominated for an Oscar at the 97th Academy Awards, Israeli forces attacked Masafer Yatta, in a move that was widely condemned.
Since Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, there has been a spike in attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with violent settlers increasingly targeting farmers with impunity.
The residents of Masafer Yatta have endured intense Israeli state and settler violence for decades, ever since Israel declared part of the region a closed military zone in the 1980s.