Latest news with #MasaferYatta
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Masked Israeli troops block media visit to West Bank site of Oscar-winning film
Masked Israeli soldiers have blocked an international group of reporters from visiting Palestinian villages on the West Bank which have been under sustained attack by Jewish settlers, and which were the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary film. The Academy Award won by No Other Land has not stopped the attacks on Masafer Yatta, a cluster of villages on the southern edge of the occupied territory, which has been the target of settler violence and house demolitions and forced displacement by the army for many years. After soldiers almost complete destroyed one of the hamlets in the area, Khalet Al-Daba'a, in early May, two of the film's co-directors, Yuval Avraham and Basel Adra, invited journalists to visit the area, which is Adra's home, to witness the extent of the destruction first hand. 'It's not easy for me to write this, but my community Masafer Yatta will be destroyed unless more activists and journalists don't urgently come and join us on the ground,' Adra wrote on X. 'Settlers are now in [Khalet Al-Daba'a] village 24/7 after the army destroyed it.' The convoy of 20 reporters in press vehicles was stopped on the way to Masafer Yatta on Monday by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers wearing black balaclava-type masks hiding most of their faces. In a video taken at the scene and posted by Avraham, an IDF major gives the journalists 'a reasonable time of 10 minutes' to leave. The two film-makers can be seen remonstrating with the officer, pointing out that Adra had invited the journalists to his own home. 'They are coming to see the destruction in Masafer Yatta, the way that you are destroying the community, the settler violence,' Avraham says. The major responds by saying that the journalists were being prevented from visiting 'to keep order in this area', claiming they were causing a 'public disturbance'. Adra replies: 'You didn't prevent the settlers when they came to burn the homes inside, the cars, and attack people. I have so many videos of settlers coming to attack us and shoot people here. You do nothing. Why? Why now, only when journalists are coming to see this and to film this and to interview people, [are] you coming to prevent them?' He later wrote on X: 'This is what it means to live under occupation: a masked soldier decides who and when can pass, when to destroy or to invade our homes.' The IDF was asked for comment on Monday's incident but did not provide one. The International Solidarity Movement, a group set up to resist land seizures on occupied Palestinian territory, has said that two of its activists were detained in Khalet Al-Daba'a on Saturday, and that one of them, a 48-year-old Swedish resident of London, Susanne Björk, was deported. No Other Land, made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, won the Oscar on 2 March as the year's best documentary feature. Three weeks later, another of its co-directors, Hamdan Ballal, was attacked at his home in Masafer Yatta by a group of settlers and then detained by the IDF. Backed by the hardline coalition of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, settlers have accelerated their seizure of Palestinian land and villages since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. The government announced last week that it would establish 22 new settlements in the occupied territory, legalising a series of outposts initially established without official authorisation. The defence minister, Israel Katz, said the creation of the new settlements was 'a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel'.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Irish pensioner in Israel fighting deportation order
A Swedish woman who was arrested along with Irish national Deirdre 'D' Murphy (71) by Israeli military on Saturday has spoken of the escalating violence happening all over the West Bank. Susanne Björk told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland that 'our governments' were completely ignoring the situation 'not just in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. 'It's people like D and myself who come out there just to try and document what's happening and provide some solidarity with the Palestinian people and families.' Both of the women volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and were ordered to leave the village of Khalet Al-Daba'a in Masafer Yatta in the southern part of the occupied West Bank on Saturday. READ MORE [ Restricting food distribution in Gaza may constitute Israeli war crime, says UN rights office Opens in new window ] A spokesperson for ISM said they were complying with the order when they were arrested by Israeli settlers, who were wearing military uniform as they are reservists. The settlers then called police and detained Ms Murphy, from Co Cork, and Ms Björk. The two activists were ordered to appear at a deportation hearing at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday where they were issued with deportation orders. Ms Björk was deported on Monday but Ms Murphy is fighting the deportation order and is currently still in a detention centre at Ben Gurion Airport. Ms Björk said she and other volunteers went to the region 'because the situation is so horrible'. 'This village, all over the West Bank, obviously the situation, is horrendous. People are absolutely terrified and the escalation of violence and settler violence and demolitions happening all over the West Bank is just horrendous and no one's reporting on this,' she said. 'I mean our governments are completely ignoring the situation not just in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. It's people like Dee and myself who are highlighting the situation.' [ Fintan O'Toole: Netanyahu's big lie is that 'They' are not really the same species as 'Us' Opens in new window ] This was the first time that Ms Björk had been arrested, but it was not the first time she had experienced such intimidation, she said. 'Usually that would have meant a ban from a certain area, perhaps, that you were not allowed to enter that area. But my lawyer said that this is a new policy that they've implemented in the last few months, where they arrest people and deport people straight away and send them to immigration hearing at Ben Gurion. And this is, I think, quite a new policy,' she added. 'They're just trying to get rid of anyone who tried to document the reality of the occupation and the war crimes taking place.' When asked if she would return, Ms Björk said she would if she could, but it seemed unlikely because she did not receive any of the documentation she was promised at the police hearing. 'They were supposed to provide us with an English transcript of the interview. I never received that. I also didn't receive any protocol from the immigration hearing.' The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. It said it does not comment on the details of individual cases. Ms Murphy is a founding member of Swansea Palestine Community Link and was previously detained in Israel in 2011, when she travelled to the Jewish state with the Welsh pro-Palestine group. Her son, Dale Ryan, said: 'As far as I can see her only crime was observing crimes against Palestinian people. D has always had a strong sense of justice and I know she could not sit at home while she knew her friends in Masafer Yatta and all of Palestine were suffering unnecessarily. 'I am very proud of my mother for sticking up for the basic human rights of her friends and trying to raise awareness of the injustices the Palestinian people are experiencing.'
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Woman deported by Israel says 'governments are completely ignoring' the West Bank
A Swedish woman who was arrested along with Irish national Deirdre 'D' Murphy (71) by Israeli military on Saturday has spoken of the escalating violence happening all over the West Bank. Susanne Björk told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland that 'our governments' were completely ignoring the situation 'not just in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. Advertisement 'It's people like D and myself who come out there just to try and document what's happening and provide some solidarity with the Palestinian people and families.' Both of the women volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and were ordered to leave the village of Khallet al-Dabaa in Masafer Yatta in the southern part of the occupied West Bank on Saturday. Palestinians stand on the rubble of a demolished building in the village of Khallet al-Dabaa in the Masafer Yatta area of the occupied West Bank, after Israeli forces destroyed 95% of all the houses, displacing about 100 people. Photo: John Wessels/AFP via Getty A spokesperson for ISM said they were complying with the order when they were arrested by Israeli settlers, who were wearing military uniform as they are reservists, who then called police and detained Ms Murphy and Ms Björk. The two activists were ordered to appear at a deportation hearing at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday where they were issued with deportation orders. Ms Björk was deported on Monday but Ms Murphy is fighting the deportation order and is currently still in a detention centre at Ben Gurion Airport. Advertisement Ms Björk said she and other volunteers went to the region 'because the situation is so horrible. This village, all over the West Bank, obviously the situation, is horrendous. People are absolutely terrified and the escalation of violence and settler violence and demolitions happening all over the West Bank is just horrendous and no one's reporting on this. I mean our governments are completely ignoring the situation not just in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. It's people like Dee and myself who are highlighting the situation.' A view of the area after the Israeli army destroyed Palestinian homes in the village of Khallet al-Dabaa. Photo: Mosab Shawer/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty This was the first time that Ms Björk had been arrested, but it was not the first time she had experienced such intimidation. Ireland Irish pensioner 'facing deportation' from Israel Read More 'Usually that would have meant a ban from a certain area, perhaps, that you were not allowed to enter that area. But my lawyer said that this is a new policy that they've implemented in the last few months, where they arrest people and deport people straight away and send them to immigration hearing at Ben Gurion. And this is, I think, quite a new policy. 'They're just trying to get rid of anyone who tried to document the reality of the occupation and the war crimes taking place.' Advertisement When asked if she would return, Ms Björk said she would if she could, but it seemed unlikely because she did not receive any of the documentation she was promised at the police hearing. 'They were supposed to provide us with an English transcript of the interview. I never received that. I also didn't receive any protocol from the immigration hearing.'
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
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
Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Israeli army blocks Oscar media tour of villages in West Bank
JERUSALEM: Israeli soldiers on Monday barred journalists from entering villages in the West Bank on a planned tour organized by the directors of the Oscar-winning movie 'No Other Land.' The directors of the film, which focuses on Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territory, said they had invited the journalists on the tour Monday to interview residents about increasing settler violence in the area. In a video posted on X by the film's co-director, Yuval Abraham, an Israeli soldier tells a group of international journalists there is 'no passage' in the area because of a military order. Basel Adra, a Palestinian co-director of the film who lives in the area, said the military then blocked the journalists from entering two Palestinian villages they had hoped to visit. 'They don't want the world to see what is happening here' 'They don't want journalists to visit the villages to meet the residents,' said Adra, who had invited the journalists to his home. 'It's clear they don't want the world to see what is happening here.' Some of the surrounding area, including a collection of small Bedouin villages known as Masafer Yatta, was declared by the military to be a live-fire training zone in the 1980s. Some 1,000 Palestinians have remained there despite being ordered out, and journalists, human rights activists, and diplomats have visited the villages in the past. Palestinian residents in the area have reported increasing settler violence since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and kick-started the war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli soldiers regularly move in to demolish homes, tents, water tanks, and olive orchards — and Palestinians fear outright expulsion could come at any time. Adra said the journalists were eventually able to enter one of the villages in Masafer Yatta, but were barred from entering Tuwani, the village where he lives, and Khallet A-Daba, where he had hoped to take them. Adra said settlers arrived in Khallet A-Daba on Monday and took over some of the caves where village residents live, destroying residents' belongings and grazing hundreds of sheep on village lands. The military demolished much of the village last month. 'No Other Land,' which won the Oscar this year for best documentary, chronicles the struggle by residents to stop the Israeli military from demolishing their villages. The joint Palestinian-Israeli production was directed by Adra, Hamdan Ballal, another Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta, along with Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. The film has won a string of international awards. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three for their future state and view settlement growth as a major obstacle to a two-state solution. Israel has built well over 100 settlements, home to over 500,000 settlers who have Israeli citizenship. The 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority administering population centers.
