In brief
Hamdan Ballal, an Oscar winner, faces questioning after being assaulted by masked settlers.
Israeli police have recently questioned Hamdan Ballal, a Palestinian director known for his Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” following reports that he was assaulted by masked settlers in his village, Susya, in the West Bank. Ballal, 37, and two other Palestinians were detained on charges of allegedly throwing stones at Israeli vehicles, which they deny, according to their lawyer, Leah Tsemel. The situation escalated when a group of masked assailants launched an attack on his village before his arrest, which has sparked concerns about increasing incidents of settler violence in the region. Reportedly, there were over 1,000 instances of such violence in the past year, according to the United Nations. A minor settler involved in the incident was briefly detained for medical evaluation and is expected to be questioned later. The scrutiny around the event intensified, especially since the current U.S. administration under President Trump has relaxed sanctions against those involved in settler violence, allowing Trump’s nomination for ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, an outspoken supporter of settlement expansion, to proceed.
