Palestinian Filmmaker Awarded Oscar 'Detained and Then Released'

Hamdan Bilal, a Palestinian documentary filmmaker who won this year's Oscar, was detained for one night after being injured in an attack by Israeli settlers on his village in the West Bank. This incident occurred on the evening of Monday, March 24. According to the head of the local council, Hamdan Bilal, one of the directors of the documentary 'There is No Other Land,' was hosting guests for Iftar at his home in the village of Susya near Hebron when a group of settlers attacked. Jihad Nawajaa, the village council head, told Reuters in a phone call, 'Dozens of settlers stormed the Iftar ceremony. When younger men exited the building to prevent the attack, clashes erupted and eight Palestinians were injured.' The village head emphasized that this was not the first attack by settlers and that, in fact, the number of such attacks has increased in recent months, claiming that the assailants also stole 10 sheep from the villagers. Violence in the West Bank and the beginning of sanctions against Israeli settlers. Israeli police detained three individuals, including the injured Hamdan Bilal. However, on Tuesday, March 25, the Associated Press reported the release of Hamdan Bilal and two other detainees from the police station in Kiryat Arba. According to the report, bruises were visible on Hamdan Bilal's face, and blood stains were seen on his clothing. The incident on Monday night was the latest case of attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinian or Bedouin villages in the West Bank; attacks that sometimes aim to steal their livestock. Palestinians and activists who have witnessed such attacks say that the Israeli police and army generally stand by and do not prevent the assaults and thefts. On the other hand, the Israeli army issued a statement regarding the incident on Monday night, stating that soldiers and police entered the scene after a group of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli civilian vehicles and military cars. The statement noted that in response to this, three Palestinians suspected of throwing stones and one Israeli exhibiting violent behavior were arrested. Condemnation of Israeli settlers; the European Union seeks sanctions. Meanwhile, Anna Lipman, an American-Canadian member of a group known as 'Jews Against Violence,' stated that her group arrived at the scene about fifteen minutes after the clashes began; however, they were also attacked. According to Ms. Lipman, just minutes after the settlers attacked her group members, soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded Hamdan Bilal and transferred him to a military vehicle. This human rights activist stated that Hamdan Bilal's family showed her blood stains in the place where the settlers had beaten the filmmaker. Basel Adra, another Palestinian director of the film 'There is No Other Land,' believes that the settlers deliberately brought army forces to Hamdan Bilal's house to take revenge on him for making the film. According to Basel Adra, since Hamdan Bilal always has a camera in hand and records what happens around him, the settlers sought to harass him in this way. The documentary 'There is No Other Land' is about the displacement and homelessness of a group of Palestinians at the hands of Israelis and was co-directed by several Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, winning the Oscar for Best Feature Documentary. European countries and the previous U.S. administration had sanctioned some Jewish settlers due to their violent and illegal behavior towards Palestinians; however, the Trump administration lifted U.S. sanctions against them.