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Palestinian co-director of Oscar-winning documentary arrested for stoning security forces

Hamdan Balal, co-director of “No Other Land,” was detained during violent clashes near Susya in Judea.

Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor, winners of the Best Documentary Feature Film for "No Other Land", attend the 97th Annual Oscars Governors Ball at Ovation Hollywood Complex on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images.
Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor, winners of the Best Documentary Feature Film for “No Other Land”, attend the 97th Annual Oscars Governors Ball at Ovation Hollywood Complex on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images.

Israeli forces on Monday night arrested Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Balal on suspicion of throwing stones at security forces during violent clashes near Susya in Judea, according to Hebrew media reports.

Balal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” was among three Palestinians detained, along with an Israeli citizen involved in the confrontation.

The Israel Defense Forces reported that the violence began when Palestinian suspects hurled rocks at Israeli civilians, damaging vehicles. A confrontation erupted between Israelis and Palestinians, leading to further rock-throwing. Security forces intervened, at which point Palestinians allegedly threw stones at them, prompting the arrests.

An Israeli citizen was also injured and evacuated for medical treatment.

The Israeli army denied reports that Balal was taken from an ambulance.

Joshua Marks is a news editor on the Jerusalem desk at JNS.org, where he covers Jewish affairs, the Middle East and global news.
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