Israel doesn’t want witnesses to the destruction in the occupied West Bank depicted in the Oscar-winning ‘No Other Land’

Since the film No Other Land — which portrays the harsh reality of life for Palestinians under the Israeli occupation of the West Bank — won the Oscar for Best Documentary three months ago, violence has only increased in the town of Masafar Yatta, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) south of Hebron, where it was filmed. A week ago, one of its 12 communities, Khalet al-Daba, was practically razed by Israeli army bulldozers and then taken over by settlers.

That’s what the co-directors and protagonists — Israeli Yuval Abraham and Palestinian Basel Adra — wanted to show a large group of international reporters and activists this Monday. But it wasn’t possible. The Israeli military and police blocked access under an order “to prevent unrest” and urged those present, including the head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Minister Muayyad Sha’ban, to leave the site.

“On May 5, the army arrived and destroyed 85% of the village structure. They demolished almost all the houses, all the old caves, the bathrooms, the water wells, the solar panels that provided the community with minimal electricity, the water pipes, and left the villagers virtually without shelter,” Adra explains on the road leading to his home in Al Tuwani, which he has been unable to cross.

“Last week, settlers arrived, drove a family out of the cave they were living in, and took over, establishing themselves there as if creating an outpost, bringing hundreds of sheep, goats, and camels. And they began grazing in the orchards, the fields, the olive trees, the vineyards,” he adds.

The Palestinian journalist and director laments that a government he can’t vote for is depriving him of his land and his rights, such as inviting anyone he wants into his home. “Why don’t you let my guests come in and see it? Isn’t this the only democracy in the Middle East?” Adra ironically asks one of the hooded soldiers.

The sudden decision, 24 hours before the visit, to close access to activists and the press comes as no surprise to anyone. “It’s clear they have a lot to hide. I know what they have to hide because I’ve seen it with my own eyes: the destruction, the settler violence that never stops. They’re arresting people who want to witness and document that violence. And I think it’s wrong,” Abraham says.

This Monday, Israel deported 48-year-old Swedish activist Susanne Björk after she was arrested Saturday while documenting settler violence in Khalet al-Daba. Along with her, 70-year-old Irish activist D. Murphy was also detained. He is still being held in an Israeli detention center and is also subject to another expulsion order, according to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

For Abraham, the intensification of attacks in recent months, preceded by years of harassment, aims to “prevent the creation of a Palestinian state and attempt to minimize the space available to Palestinians through widespread ethnic cleansing.” This is the same plan that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is pursuing with the war in Gaza or with the approval of 22 new Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which represents the largest expansion in the occupied territory since the 1993 Oslo Accords, according to the NGO Peace Now. “And I think the final step will be to expel all Palestinians from between the river and the sea […] And that’s wrong. I oppose it with all my heart. I believe it has to end,” Abraham adds.

The pattern is almost always the same, Adra explains: “The army arrives with bulldozers, destroying the community, and then the settlers violently create their illegal outposts next to or within the village, and begin attacking the community 24/7, until the residents abandon their homes.”

As an activist, Abraham is discouraged by his limited ability to stop this “violation of international law.” Far from protecting the inhabitants of Masafar Yatta, the Oscar for his documentary has further made the site a target for the Israeli army and settlers.

For the Israeli director, without genuine involvement from the international community, the violence will not cease. He has taken advantage of the international media to harshly criticize its leaders, especially those in Europe. Fine words aren’t enough, he says. And he calls for action: “Some say that only the United States has the power to influence. I don’t believe that. I believe European governments have a lot of power to stop this, to pressure against the settlements, to sanction settlers and companies, to cut ties when Israel violates international law. It’s wrong that they aren’t doing so, because we, as activists, try to bring about change on the ground, but it’s very difficult if the international community is against us.”

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