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Saturday, Jul 19, 2025
Outside the box.
EU Parliament Hosts Screening of Award-Winning Documentary Amidst Tensions in West Bank
Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra discusses the impact of Israeli settlements and violence at a press conference in Brussels.
Brussels – The European Parliament has become a platform for denouncing violence against Palestinians amidst ongoing tensions in the West Bank.
Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra has arrived in the EU capital to promote his documentary _No Other Land_, which recently received the Oscar for Best Documentary.
The film spotlights the hardships faced by the Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta.
At a press conference on April 7, 2023, Adra, along with his co-directors, presented their five-year endeavor that documents the violent impact of Israeli settlements on Palestinian lives.
The film, co-directed with Palestinian Hamdan Ballal, and Israelis Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, includes depictions of home demolitions, destruction of essential infrastructure, and direct assaults on local residents by Israeli settlers, reportedly supported by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Masafer Yatta is situated in Area C of the West Bank, an area that has been under Israeli political and security control since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.
This area constitutes approximately 61% of the West Bank.
Adra noted that conditions have deteriorated significantly since filming concluded in 2023, with more than one hundred attacks reported against local villages since January.
During the press conference, Adra shared an account of personal attacks.
In February 2023, he was assaulted by settlers in the West Bank, and on March 24, his co-director Hamdan Ballal faced a violent raid where he was beaten by masked settlers and detained by Israeli police for roughly 20 hours, facing charges related to the confrontation.
Adra also recounted an incident on March 28 when settlers reportedly abducted 26 men from Masafer Yatta, followed by a military operation that resulted in damage to a school built with European funds.
The filmmaker emphasized that such incidents are part of a broader pattern of violence against Palestinians that he argues stems from Israeli state policies aimed at territorial expansion and undermining the feasibility of a future Palestinian state.
Drawing attention to the lack of media coverage for many Palestinian narratives, he underscored the disparity in responses to violence and human rights violations between different geopolitical contexts.
Adra criticized the perceived impunity enjoyed by Israeli officials, pointing to the diplomatic relations that continue despite alleged violations of international law.
He highlighted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, travels freely in Europe.
During his address, Adra also referenced recent developments in Gaza, including the deaths of 15 Red Crescent aid workers attributed to Israeli military actions, which the Israeli government had previously denied.
He noted that during the most recent escalations, including bombings in Khan Yunis that resulted in numerous casualties, Palestinian journalists have faced unprecedented risks.
Reports indicate that from October 2023 to the present, over 170 journalists have been killed in Gaza, marking the highest toll recorded for journalists in any conflict.
The screening of _No Other Land_ will take place in the European Parliament on April 9, furthering the discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a European context.
Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra has arrived in the EU capital to promote his documentary _No Other Land_, which recently received the Oscar for Best Documentary.
The film spotlights the hardships faced by the Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta.
At a press conference on April 7, 2023, Adra, along with his co-directors, presented their five-year endeavor that documents the violent impact of Israeli settlements on Palestinian lives.
The film, co-directed with Palestinian Hamdan Ballal, and Israelis Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, includes depictions of home demolitions, destruction of essential infrastructure, and direct assaults on local residents by Israeli settlers, reportedly supported by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Masafer Yatta is situated in Area C of the West Bank, an area that has been under Israeli political and security control since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.
This area constitutes approximately 61% of the West Bank.
Adra noted that conditions have deteriorated significantly since filming concluded in 2023, with more than one hundred attacks reported against local villages since January.
During the press conference, Adra shared an account of personal attacks.
In February 2023, he was assaulted by settlers in the West Bank, and on March 24, his co-director Hamdan Ballal faced a violent raid where he was beaten by masked settlers and detained by Israeli police for roughly 20 hours, facing charges related to the confrontation.
Adra also recounted an incident on March 28 when settlers reportedly abducted 26 men from Masafer Yatta, followed by a military operation that resulted in damage to a school built with European funds.
The filmmaker emphasized that such incidents are part of a broader pattern of violence against Palestinians that he argues stems from Israeli state policies aimed at territorial expansion and undermining the feasibility of a future Palestinian state.
Drawing attention to the lack of media coverage for many Palestinian narratives, he underscored the disparity in responses to violence and human rights violations between different geopolitical contexts.
Adra criticized the perceived impunity enjoyed by Israeli officials, pointing to the diplomatic relations that continue despite alleged violations of international law.
He highlighted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, travels freely in Europe.
During his address, Adra also referenced recent developments in Gaza, including the deaths of 15 Red Crescent aid workers attributed to Israeli military actions, which the Israeli government had previously denied.
He noted that during the most recent escalations, including bombings in Khan Yunis that resulted in numerous casualties, Palestinian journalists have faced unprecedented risks.
Reports indicate that from October 2023 to the present, over 170 journalists have been killed in Gaza, marking the highest toll recorded for journalists in any conflict.
The screening of _No Other Land_ will take place in the European Parliament on April 9, furthering the discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a European context.
