Pars Today- According to the reports, Hamdan Bilal, Palestinian Oscar-winning filmmaker, was beaten and abducted by Zionists.
Hamdan Bilal, Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary, “No Other Land”, disappeared on Monday evening after the attack of Zionist settlers on Susia village in the south of the West Bank. According to Pars Today, this event caused a wave of international concern and protests and once again revealed racist and repressive policies of the Zionist regime.
Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Bilal’s, colleague and co-director of “No Other Land”, wrote on X social network in reaction to the event, “A group of [Zionist] settlers have just caught Hamdan Bilal and beaten him. He was injured on the head and stomach and was bleeding. Soldiers attacked even the relief ambulance and kidnapped Bilal.”
Associated Press, too, quoting from eye witnesses of Bilal’s beating by Zionist settlers, wrote, “A group of 10-20 of masked settlers attacked him with stones and sticks and a few Zionists calling for “Peace” struck him and broke the glasses and punctured the tyres of his car.”
According to the witnesses, most of the masked assailants were youngsters with sticks and knifes. Three Palestinians were arrested during the attack and, according to their lawyers, they were transferred to a military center before interrogation. Associated Press said that the Palestinian director was detained because of filming the scene of the assault on Susia village by [Zionist] settlers.
The documentary “No Other Land” is a narrative of a Palestinian family whose house is ruined by Zionists and they are homeless. This film was praised in the international festivals, such as Berlin, Toronto, Vancouver and New York by the jury and viewers, and succeeded to draw the global attention to the dire situation of Palestinians. Bilal and his colleagues used the chance of Oscar Awards to make the world aware of the injustice and ethnic cleansing unleashed against the Palestinian people.
Basel Adra, another co-director of “No Other Land” said during the Oscar event, “We ask the world to take serious measures to stop the injustice and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people. Around two months ago, I became a father and I hope that my daughter will not be forced to live the way I am living now, and get through the same experiences.”
This event took place only three weeks after winning Oscar Award by the documentary and proved the violent reaction of Israel to any effort to expose its crimes. The International Documentary Association (IDA) and other human rights institutions have called for immediate release of Bilal and giving information on his situation. The IDA statement says that Bilal’s family and the society should be informed of his situation, residence and the reason for his detention.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran, too, has strongly condemned this Israeli measure and considered it as another example of aggressive policies of the Zionist regime. The media of resistance axis described this move as an attempt by the fake Zionist regime to suffocate the voice of truth and resistance.
News sources announced on Tuesday and Wednesday that Bilal and two other kidnapped Palestinians were released on bail on Tuesday afternoon and were sent to hospital for treatment.
It should be noted that after the publication of the news of Bilal’s abduction, a long petition was signed by 3700 people calling for his immediate release. This petition stressed that, “Such a conduct towards a globally praised filmmaker seriously undermines artistic freedom, human rights and freedom of expression and we call for immediate interference to maintain Bilal’s security, his quick release and access to his family and legal lawyer.”
Roger Ross Williams, Alex Gibney, Christian Vachon, Liz Garbus, Ezra Edelman, Dan Cogan, Christi Jacobsen, Julie Goldman, Lee Hirsch, Joslyn Barnes, Fisher Stevens, Marjan Safinia, Julia Baja, Simon Kilmurry, Jane Tesin, Jihan Robinson, Sandy Dobovsky, Yoruba Richen, Lisa Valencia-Svensson, Rae Gordon, Daniel Chalfen, Hidie Oving, Heidi Ewing, Maite Alberdi, Steve Ming, Sonya Childerss, David Tighe, Susan Margolin, Ferne Pearlstein and Geralyn Dreyfous were the signatories of this petition.
RM/UR
