AMY GOODMAN: In the occupied West Bank, the Oscar-winning Palestinian film director Hamdan Ballal was arrested by Israeli soldiers Monday after being brutally beaten by a group of masked and armed Israeli settlers in the village of Susya in the Masafer Yatta region.

The attack came just three weeks after Ballal and his three co-directors won an Oscar for best documentary for their film No Other Land. The film follows the struggles of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta to stay on their land amidst home demolitions by Israeli military and violent attacks by Israeli settlers aimed at expelling them.

One of Ballal’s co-directors, journalist Basel Adra, said settlers entered their village and started the assault shortly after residents broke their daily Ramadan fast.

The Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, who was one of the other co-directors of No Other Land, wrote on social media, quote, “They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since,” Yuval wrote.

We’re joined now by two guests in the village of Susya in the occupied West Bank. Anna Lippman is with us, a Jewish American peace activist from the Center for Jewish Nonviolence. She witnessed the settler attack on Monday. Also with us, Basel Adra. He co-directed the Oscar-winning film No Other Land. The film is based on his years of documenting Israeli efforts to evict Palestinians living in his community, Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

Anna, let’s begin with you. You were in the area of the attack. Can you explain exactly what you saw?

ANNA LIPPMAN: Hi. Thanks so much for having me.

Yeah, so, we were called, myself and several other activists, by members of the village of Susya that an attack was occurring next to the elementary school. We drove over from a neighboring village. It took us about 15 minutes to get there. As we arrived at the base of the house that the attack occurred at, we saw soldiers, sirens, all sorts of things at the top of the hill.

Myself and two other activists exited the car, and we were immediately ambushed by masked settlers with stones and sticks, yelling at us. One of the activists was punched in the face and punched in the neck. Another was pushed and hit with a stick. They began throwing rocks at us. And we ran back to the car. They continued to throw rocks. They broke a windshield, the back windshield. They broke several of the windows.

And it actually wasn’t until Basel and several others ran over and begged the army, that was standing there, to intervene that the settlers actually stopped. So, as this was occurring, the entire time, the army was watching but did nothing. And we weren’t even able to get to Hamdan at the top of the hill, because the army, who was refusing to help us, was also not allowing us to move from the location.

AMY GOODMAN: The settlers were masked, Anna?

ANNA LIPPMAN: Yes, they were. There was about 15 or so masked young settlers who just converged upon us in our car.

AMY GOODMAN: The IDF issued a statement about the incident, saying, ”IDF and Israeli police forces arrived to disperse the confrontation, at this point, several terrorists began hurling rocks at the security forces. The forces apprehended three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks … as well as an Israeli civilian involved in the violent confrontation. The detainees were taken for further questioning by the Israel police,” Anna.

ANNA LIPPMAN: Yes, I mean, that’s certainly what the Israeli authorities have said. We know from what’s happening in Gaza that they love to say lots of things.

When we arrived, Palestinians had already been attacked. As Basel said, this was happening at iftar, when everyone was sitting down for their meal to break the fast of not having eaten all day. Hamdan was begging for his life while being injured. And, you know, the double standard is so strong here in the West Bank that Palestinians know if they were to touch a stone in front of the army, that could mean their life or the rest of their life in prison. So, the very thought of any of the Palestinians doing this, to me, is laughable.

And it’s such a double standard, because we literally have video proof of the settlers harming not only us, but the Palestinians. The settlers who claimed that Hamdan and others were throwing stones, they have no proof. They have no evidence. They simply told the army this, and that was enough for the army. The police refused to help us. The army refused to help us. But they instantly decided to serve the interests of the occupation and of the settlers.

AMY GOODMAN: I want to bring Basel Adra into this conversation. Basel, this is three weeks after you and Ballal and Yuval won the best documentary for No Other Land. This conversation should be about congratulating you, because we haven’t spoken since you were there in Los Angeles winning this award. But instead, we see this taking place. Describe, from your vantage point, when you came in, what happened. And tell us more about Ballal, your co-Oscar-winning director of No Other Land. We’re trying to hear you, Basel. Go ahead.

BASEL ADRA: — comes home, and all of his family, his children, his mother — 

AMY GOODMAN: Basel, can you start again?

BASEL ADRA: — are worried for his safety. Thank you for having me. Yes, I’m starting again. Thank you for having me. I am here at Hamdan’s home, my colleague and my friend. Since long time, we have been in the field together filming. I’m here at his home, and everybody and his family, including me and other friends, are worried for his safety. He has been abducted since last night, injured. His blood was in front of his home, where settlers and soldiers together attacked him physically, brutally, and abducted him. Until now, we don’t know his conditions and what’s happening to him, if he got treatment or not. Last night at 6 p.m., I arrived in Susya village after I got a call [inaudible] the water tanks, stabbing them and attacking the villagers, women, children. And shortly, a military jeep intervened and [inaudible] to help the settlers involved, settlers with rifles, who start attacking us, every Palestinian, keep throwing rocks at us. Hamdan ran directly to his home, which is 50% from [inaudible] the first [inaudible] — 50 meters, sorry, from the first [inaudible] beside the door to prevent any settler to enter inside.

AMY GOODMAN: Basel, we’re going to go to a clip of —

BASEL ADRA: And the settlers, like, chased him [inaudible] — 

AMY GOODMAN: Basel — Basel, we’re going to go to the trailer for No Other Land, so that we can adjust your audio. It’s too important. We need to hear this description. So, this is the trailer that Ballal and Basel co-directed with their colleagues, No Other Land.

BASEL ADRA: [translated] You think they’ll come to our home?

MASAFER YATTA RESIDENT 1: [translated] Is the army down there?

NEWS ANCHOR: A thousand Palestinians face one of the single biggest expulsion decisions since the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories began.

YUVAL ABRAHAM: [translated] Basel, come here! Come fast!

BASEL ADRA: [translated] This is a story about power.

My name is Basel. I grew up in a small community called Masafer Yatta. I started to film when we started to end.

They have bulldozers?

I’m filming you.

MASAFER YATTA RESIDENT 2: [translated] I need air. Oh my god!

MASAFER YATTA RESIDENT 3: [translated] Don’t worry.

MASAFER YATTA RESIDENT 2: [translated] I don’t want them to take our home.

YUVAL ABRAHAM: [translated] You’re Basel?

BASEL ADRA: [translated] Yes.

MASAFER YATTA RESIDENT 4: [translated] You are Palestinian?

YUVAL ABRAHAM: [translated] No, I’m Jewish.

MASAFER YATTA RESIDENT 5: [translated] He’s a journalist.

MASAFER YATTA RESIDENT 4: [translated] You’re Israeli?

MASAFER YATTA RESIDENT 5: [translated] Seriously?

BASEL ADRA: [translated] We have to raise our voices, not being silent as if — as if no human beings live here.

YUVAL ABRAHAM: [translated] What? The army is here?

BASEL ADRA: This is what’s happening in my village now. Soldiers are everywhere.

IDF SOLDIER: [translated] Who do you think you’re filming, you son of a whore?

YUVAL ABRAHAM: [translated] It would be so nice with stability one day. Then you’ll come visit me, not always me visiting you. Right?

BASEL ADRA: [translated] Maybe. What do you think? If you were in my place, what would you do?

AMY GOODMAN: That’s the trailer for the Oscar-winning documentary, won the Oscar three weeks ago, No Other Land. Basel Adra is the Palestinian co-director along with his colleagues Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor and Hamdan Ballal, who was beaten yesterday by the Israeli military and attacked by Israeli settlers. And we don’t know where he is right now. I think we have adjusted the sound on Basel Adra, who is there in the West Bank. Basel, again, describe exactly what you understand took place, and tell us more about your colleague Hamdan Ballal, who, when he was being beaten, said, “I am dying.”

BASEL ADRA: I was in the place with Hamdan, with other friends. And shortly before, like around 20 settlers, with at least four soldiers, two settlers with rifles, the settlers throwing rocks at us, while soldiers pointing their guns toward us, so we run away from the place. Everybody run to different, like, direction. Hamdan ran to his home, which is 50 meters. His wife and children were there. The settlers, like, recognized Hamdan and chased him to his home with two soldiers. They start hitting him, while his children inside hearing him shouting, “I need ambulance! I am dying!” A group of Palestinians tried to approach to help him. The soldiers immediately shot live ammunition in the air to prevent anybody to come close. And then the soldiers abducted Hamdan to a military base, I guess. Until now, we don’t know what’s his situation.

AMY GOODMAN: We have word from the well-known Israeli attorney Lea Tsemel, who’s representing them, that Israeli police told her that they’re at a military base for medical treatment. But she said Tuesday morning she had not been able to reach them, had no further information on their whereabouts. Can you tell us who the settlers were, Basel? Did you recognize them, though they were masked?

BASEL ADRA: No, two of them were not masked. Two of them were in with rifles and not masked. I know who they are. I know they constantly attack Hamdan and his village. The settler that approached Hamdan and attacked him with the soldiers, before, a few months, he approached Hamdan in his home, attacking his family and [inaudible] —

AMY GOODMAN: In response to the attack —

BASEL ADRA: [inaudible]

AMY GOODMAN: In response to the attack of Hamdan, the International Documentary Association issued a statement: “We demand Ballal’s immediate release and that his family and community be informed about his condition, location, and the justification for his detention.” Have you gotten any response, Basel Adra, from the Academy Awards or any of the organizations since these attacks began?

BASEL ADRA: Like, in Susya, the attacks are since January. Where Hamdan live, 45 attacks, like, settlers’ attacks, on his home, so this is not an isolated, like, attack happening. This is happening in a way and the official policy of the state of Israel by letting these settlers [inaudible] Masafer Yatta and across the West Bank.

I’ve been seeing the news covering this. I think also the Academy, they covered this incident. We need more serious international intervention for Hamdan, but for the communities, and to protect Palestinians all over, journalists in Gaza, Hamdan and everybody, not just happened because he’s winning the Oscar — he, for sure, deserve, like, to be protected — but all Palestinians living under this brutal occupation.

AMY GOODMAN: Have the attacks gotten worse since you won the Oscar?

BASEL ADRA: It is. It is.

AMY GOODMAN: Basel, your final thoughts today, as we talk about what ’s happened —

BASEL ADRA: To be honest, yeah, it is almost every day there is attack. Do you hear me?

AMY GOODMAN: Yes, we hear you. Your final thoughts — 

BASEL ADRA: Yes.

AMY GOODMAN: — right now and your final demand right now for what you want people to understand around the world of what’s happening in your area, in Yasafer Matta [sic]?

BASEL ADRA: Masafer Yatta. I need people to understand —

AMY GOODMAN: Masafer Yatta.

BASEL ADRA: The people need to understand this is not racist, radical Israeli settlers who want to expose their violence and racism, which is true, but this is the official state policy. The army and the police here are army and police of the occupation. The courts are courts of occupation, everything to legitimize the occupation and to steal our land. There’s nothing here to protect us as Indigenous Palestinians and incidents living in this community surrounded by these armed settlers. International community seriously needs to intervene seriously against the settlers, against the Israeli policies, against the occupation, which is illegal, to stop it and to stop the crimes, so we can live our life better than this.

AMY GOODMAN: Basel Adra, I want to thank you for being with us, Palestinian journalist, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, speaking to us from the West Bank, from the area where his co-director Hamdan Ballal was taken by the Israeli military, was beaten, injured in the head and the stomach. Again, his lawyer has not been able to communicate with him. I also want to thank Anna Lippman, Jewish American peace activist with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, for talking to us about what happened. You can go to democracynow.org to see our other interviews with Basel Adra and his co-director, Yuval Abraham.

Coming up, we remember Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Monday. Stay with us.