FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

25 March 2025

(NEW YORK) — Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) strongly condemns the apparent targeted attack and subsequent detention of Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal by Israeli settlers and soldiers, despite his serious injuries. According to his lawyer, Hamdan Ballal was detained in an Israeli military base, handcuffed, and beaten through the night by Israeli soldiers before being released later in the day on Tuesday, 25 March. Hamdan Ballal is the Oscar-winning director of the Palestinian-Israeli film, No Other Land, which has earned numerous awards in 2024 and 2025 for Best Documentary, including this year’s Best Documentary Feature Oscar. ARC calls on the Israeli authorities to hold the Israeli settlers and soldiers responsible for Hamdan’s attack and abuse accountable.

“This latest attack on a Palestinian artist reflects a broader system that enables violence without accountability,” said Julie Trébault, ARC Executive Director. “Settlers act with impunity, while Israeli soldiers abet such acts through silence or participation. This blatant effort to silence Palestinian voices, especially those who speak truth through art, cannot go unchecked. We are relieved to see Hamdan Ballal released from custody, but urgently call on the Israeli authorities to guarantee his protection and hold the perpetrators to account.”

According to eyewitnesses from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, which has maintained a presence in Masafer Yatta for months, on Monday, 24 March, an armed group of Israeli settlers descended on the village of Susya in the Masafer Yatta region and attacked residents, homes, cars, and other property in an “apparent organized and premeditated” assault. Hamdan Ballal was beaten by the attackers and left bleeding. While he was being treated for injuries in the back of an ambulance, soldiers arrived, blindfolded Hamdan Balla, and took him away to an unknown location. His whereabouts remained unknown for several hours until his lawyer later confirmed that he was being held at a military base.

The Oscar-winning film, No Other Land, documents the daily aggressions by Israeli soldiers and settlers against the Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta and the resistance of villagers to remain on their land. In accepting the Academy Award for Best Documentary, fellow filmmaker Basel Adra said, “We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.” This attack on Masafer Yatta and Hamdan Ballal comes after the Israeli Ministry of Culture, Miki Zohar, incited against the film, calling it “sabotage against the State of Israel.”

In addition to this attack against Hamdan Ballal, fellow Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra was recently attacked by Israeli settlers last month, while Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham has received death threats.

About ARC

Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues. 

For press inquiries, please contact:

Adam Shapiro
Director of Programs
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)
+1 202-294-8813
ashapiro@artistsatriskconnection.org