A Palestinian walks among the debris of demolished houses in the village of Khallet al-Dabaa, in the Massafer Yatta region in the occupied West Bank, on May 6, 2025. (Credit: John Wessels/AFP.)
Israeli soldiers and police on Monday prevented AFP journalists and other international media from entering the village of the Oscar-winning Palestinian director Basel Adra, who had invited them there.
His film "No Other Land," co-directed with Israeli Yuval Abraham, depicts the forced displacement of Palestinians in Massafer Yatta, an area in occupied West Bank declared a restricted military zone by Israel in the 1980s.
This documentary shows bulldozers demolishing houses or the walls of a school, as well as provocations and attacks by settlers living nearby. Adra and Abraham had invited journalists on Monday to visit Massafer Yatta after several episodes of violence in recent weeks, including settler intrusions into these villages, according to the directors. "The demolitions carried out by Israeli soldiers and authorities against our homes, schools, and property are increasing at a rampant pace," Adra told AFP outside the village.
When the journalists arrived at the gates of Tuwani, Adra's village, Israeli police and soldiers prevented them from entering, claiming to set up a checkpoint for 24 hours. They also prevented a delegation from the Palestinian Authority, which arrived shortly after the journalists, from entering the village.
An Israeli soldier, who refused to give his name, told AFP that the law enforcement forces were deployed to "maintain public order." "There have been violent clashes between settlers, Jews, Arabs, and journalists, and to prevent these violent clashes, we decided not to allow entry today," he explained.
"These police and soldiers, who are here today to prevent international media from entering, not only do they not come to prevent settler violence, but often they participate in it," commented Abraham.
Since the start of the Gaza war, triggered by the unprecedented attack by the Islamist movement Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, violence has exploded in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel announced last week the creation of 22 new settlements, drawing strong international condemnation.
Abraham laments the lack of action from the international community, even after the success of his film, which was awarded the 2025 Oscar for best documentary in early March. "We always hoped that if people saw [what is happening] [...], [they] would pressure their governments," he stated: "the world now knows, but no measures are taken."
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