Israeli forces block media entry to Palestinian village featured in Oscar-winning film, all while violence by illegal settlers gets worse
TUWANI (Palestine), June 3 — Israeli forces yesterday blocked an international media tour in the occupied West Bank, preventing journalists from entering the village of Oscar-winning Palestinian director Basel Adra who decried worsening Israeli violence.
Adra's film 'No Other Land' chronicles the forced displacement of Palestinians by Israeli troops and settlers in Masafer Yatta, an area in the southern West Bank that Israel declared a restricted military zone in the 1980s.
Journalists from AFP and other international media travelled to Tuwani at the invitation of Adra, who lives in the village, and co-director Yuval Abraham, seeking to draw attention to a spate of house demolitions and violent incidents in recent weeks.
At the entrance to Tuwani, the journalists as well as a Palestinian Authority delegation were blocked by Israeli forces, who said they had a warrant to set up a one-day checkpoint.
Abraham called the roadblock a 'good example' of what he said was Israeli authorities' involvement in attacks against Palestinians in Masafer Yatta.
Adra said the violence was 'getting worse and worse'.
'Settler violence increased, the demolitions carried out by Israeli soldiers and authorities against our homes and schools and properties is increasing in very crazy and high numbers,' he told AFP.
An Israeli officer who refused to give his name told AFP the force was at the entrance to Tuwani to 'keep the public order'.
'There were violent clashes between settlers, Jews, Arabs, journalists, and to prevent these violent clashes, we decided not to allow passage today,' the officer said.
Adra said that last week, settlers had entered the nearby Palestinian hamlet of Khallet al-Dabaa, which was bulldozed by the Israeli army in early May, with the Israelis harassing the residents who remained despite the destruction.
To Abraham, blocking the media tour was a 'good example of the relationship between settler violence and the state'.
'These police officers and soldiers that are here now to prevent the international media, not only do they not come to prevent the settler violence, often they partake in it,' the Israeli co-director told AFP.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence there has soared throughout the Gaza war, which broke out in October 2023.
The West Bank is home to about three million Palestinians, but also some 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are illegal under international law.
Since the start of 2025, attacks by Israeli settlers have left at least 220 Palestinians injured, the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA has said.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 937 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began.
Attacks by Palestinians and clashes during military raids in the West Bank over the same period have killed 35 Israelis, including soldiers, according to official figures.
Abraham said he had been trying to hold on to hope that the film's success would bring change on the ground.
'Unfortunately, the world now knows, but there is no action,' he said. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Ukraine says ‘massive' Russian drone attack on Kyiv
KYIV: Ukraine said Monday 'another massive attack' on Kyiv by Russian drones was underway, a day after the country's top military commander vowed to increase the 'scale and depth' of strikes on Russia. Diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war have stalled, with the last direct meeting between the two sides almost three weeks ago and no follow-up talks scheduled. 'Another massive attack on the capital. Possibly, several waves of enemy drones,' said a statement from Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration. Two people were hospitalised in the Solomianski district, said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, and two others were injured near a metro station in the Sviatochinski district, Tkachenko later said. AFP journalists in Kyiv heard the buzzing of a drone flying over the city centre and explosions, as well as gunfire. They saw around 10 people sheltering in the basement of a residential building in central Kyiv waiting for the attack to end, most of them scrolling their phones for news. The latest strikes came after Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky vowed to intensify strikes on Russia. 'We will not just sit in defence. Because this brings nothing and eventually leads to the fact that we still retreat, lose people and territories,' he told reporters, including AFP. Syrsky said Ukraine would continue its strikes on Russian military targets, which he said had proved 'effective'. 'Of course, we will continue. We will increase the scale and depth,' he said. Fair response Ukraine has launched retaliatory strikes on Russia throughout the war, targeting energy and military infrastructure sometimes hundreds of kilometres from the front line. Kyiv says the strikes are a fair response to deadly Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians. At least four people were killed in an overnight Russian strike on an apartment building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, while a strike on a Ukrainian army training ground later in the day killed three others, officials said. In wide-ranging remarks, Syrsky conceded that Russia had some advantages in drone warfare, particularly in making fibre-optic drones that are tethered and difficult to jam. 'Here, unfortunately, they have an advantage in both the number and range of their use,' he said. He also claimed that Ukraine still held 90 square kilometres (35 square miles) of territory in Russia's Kursk region, where Kyiv launched an audacious cross-border incursion last August. 'These are our pre-emptive actions in response to a possible enemy offensive,' he said. Russia said in April that it had gained full control of the Kursk region and denies that Kyiv has a presence there. Russia occupies around a fifth of Ukraine and claims to have annexed four Ukrainian regions as its own since launching its invasion in 2022 -- in addition to Crimea, which it captured in 2014. Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging a peace deal to prolong its full-scale offensive on the country and to seize more territory. The Russian army said Sunday that it had captured the village of Petrivske in Ukraine's northeast Kharkiv region. Russian forces also sent at least 47 drones and fired three missiles towards Ukraine between late Saturday and early Sunday, the Ukrainian air force said.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Cambodia PM orders halt to fuel imports from Thailand
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's prime minister said Sunday (June 22) the country would halt all fuel imports from neighbour Thailand, as tensions escalate over an ongoing border dispute. The nations have been at loggerheads since a Cambodian soldier was killed last month as troops exchanged fire in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet. "Starting from midnight tonight, all fuel and gas imports from Thailand will be halted," Cambodian leader Hun Manet (pic) wrote on social media. He said energy companies would be able to "import sufficiently from other sources to meet domestic fuel and gas demands" in the country. Thailand has placed restrictions on several border checkpoints citing "national security", and on Sunday Cambodia closed two crossings in retaliation. In statements issued on Sunday, Cambodia's foreign ministry urged citizens not to travel to Thailand unnecessarily, while Thailand's consular affairs department warned Thais in Cambodia to avoid "protest areas". The border spat has triggered political turmoil in Thailand after a phone call between leaders was leaked, prompting domestic criticism of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's conduct. The ruling Thai party's biggest coalition partner withdrew earlier this week as calls grew louder for her to step down and she was forced to apologise over her phone conversation with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Thailand was Cambodia's third-biggest trading partner in 2022, according to the World Bank, with imports reaching US$3.8 billion, of which fuels accounted for 27 per cent. Earlier on Sunday, Cambodia's defence ministry accused the Thai army of violating an agreement by escorting some 150 cyclists to visit a disputed temple near the border. The Thai army denied any violation, saying there had been a "misunderstanding". - AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Malaysia urges Asean-OIC collaboration on Myanmar crisis
Students' bags are kept in front of a school building damaged in a bombardment carried out by Myanmar's military at the Ohe Htein Twin village in Tabayin township, Sagaing Region, on May 12, 2025. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia is deeply concerned about the situation in Myanmar. - AFP KUALA LUMPUR: As Asean Chair, Malaysia has called for enhanced collaboration between Asean and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the deteriorating situation in Myanmar, with a focus on ending violence, alleviating the humanitarian crisis and supporting long-term peace in the country. Delivering a statement at the OIC Contact Group on Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar in Istanbul, Turkiye on Sunday (June 22), Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia is deeply concerned about the situation in Myanmar, particularly the plight of displaced Rohingyas, and stressed the need to ensure their safe, dignified and sustained return to Rakhine State. He added that it is crucial to create a safe, secure and enabling environment for the timely and effective distribution of aid to all affected communities, following the serious humanitarian crisis caused by the March 28 earthquake. "Malaysia is committed to taking a constructive approach to address the situation in Myanmar. We have identified three key priorities, which are to promote inclusive political dialogue; ensure the cessation of violence; and to scale up humanitarian assistance. "Malaysia encourages greater engagement between the OIC Member States and the stakeholders, while focusing on ending the violence, (and) alleviating the humanitarian crisis with a view of supporting peace in Myanmar,' he said. Mohamad said Malaysia, through the Asean Special Envoy, Tan Sri Othman Hashim, has intensified efforts to engage inclusively with all stakeholders; however at present, there are many stakeholders in Myanmar. He said such inclusive engagement would lay important groundwork for deeper cooperation on shared priorities, particularly in advancing humanitarian assistance. "In this regard, Malaysia would like the OIC Contact Group and our Special Envoy to identify fields of collaboration that could further complement efforts in supporting a peaceful and inclusive resolution,' he said. On the humanitarian crisis following the deadly earthquake in Myanmar, Mohamad urged all parties to move towards a more permanent ceasefire and to work collectively towards a sustainable resolution to the crisis. At present, he said the conflicting parties had announced a unilateral temporary ceasefire. "Despite these encouraging developments, funding for humanitarian efforts remains critically insufficient. "We encourage members of the OIC to continue their support for relief efforts,' he said. Malaysia has contributed 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid consisting of essential supplies, deployed the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, and set-up a field hospital immediately after the earthquake - in Sagaing City, the area most affected by the earthquake. - Bernama
