By Charles Switzer
1:36am PDT, Mar 26, 2025
From the Oscars to a Beating in the West Bank
Just weeks after accepting an
Academy Award in Los Angeles for
No Other Land, filmmaker
Hamdan Ballal recounted a harrowing experience involving physical assault and detention.
Speaking from a West Bank hospital, Ballal described how he was attacked by an Israeli settler and then repeatedly beaten by soldiers: "He kicked my head like a football," the director said of settler
Shem Tov Luski. After the assault, Ballal said he was detained, blindfolded for more than 20 hours and subjected to repeated abuse. "When they say 'Oscar', you understand. When they say your name, you understand," he told the
Associated Press, indicating he believes he was attacked because of his high profile as a celebrated filmmaker.
Here's what happened.
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Conflicting Accounts and Continued Violence
The Israeli military has yet to respond to the allegations that its soldiers beat Hamdan Ballal.
Shem Tov Luski, named by Ballal as the attacker, denied involvement and claimed he was responding to Palestinians who were throwing stones at his car. "He broke my window, threw a stone at my chest," Luski told the AP.
He said he led soldiers to Ballal's house but denied hitting him or damaging any property. Still, evidence at the scene told a different story: blood was visible near Ballal's home, the family car's windows were smashed, and neighbors pointed out a water tank with damage they say came from settlers.
Witnesses reported roughly two dozen settlers and Israeli police entered the village of Susiya at sunset, causing destruction before soldiers arrived.
Detention and Legal Response
Hamdan Ballal and two other Palestinians were taken into custody by Israeli forces. According to his attorney Lea Tsemel, they received only minimal medical care at an army base and were unreachable by legal counsel for several hours.
Ballal recalled his detention as frigid and disorienting: "All my body is pain," he said after his release on Tuesday, March 25.
Doctors confirmed bruises, facial abrasions and other minor injuries. The other two detainees also showed signs of abuse. Luski, who has a history of confrontations with Ballal, had previously been recorded telling him, "This is my land, I was given it by God," and "Next time it won't be nice."
He even mocked Ballal with references to Sde Teiman prison, saying, "R*** for a higher cause," and blowing him a kiss.
Global Spotlight on 'No Other Land' and the Fallout
No Other Land, co-directed by Palestinians Hamdan Ballal and Basel Adra alongside Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, highlights the destruction of Palestinian homes in Masafer Yatta, an area declared a military zone by Israel in the 1980s.
Adra says violent incidents have escalated since the Oscar win: "We're living in dark days here, in Gaza, and all of the West Bank," he said. "Nobody's stopping this."
The film has sparked intense backlash, including in the United States. In Miami Beach, officials considered terminating the lease of an arthouse theater that screened the documentary. The controversy around the film and its directors continues to grow amid escalating tensions.
Broader Conflict and International Implications
Meanwhile, the political climate continues to ripple globally, with leaders like Donald Trump and public figures such as Elon Musk inserting themselves into narratives surrounding Israel, media and power.
While Musk hasn't directly commented on Hamdan Ballal's case, he previously
mocked The Atlantic after it broke another national security story, showing the broader tendency of high-profile voices to shape discourse around sensitive issues.
