Israeli Soldiers Raid Home of Oscar-Winning Director Basel Adra

Palestinian Oscar-winning director Basel Adra reported a raid at his home in the occupied West Bank by Israeli soldiers searching for him. The incident occurred after a violent confrontation in his village involving Israeli settlers, which left two of his brothers and a cousin injured. Adra was with them at the hospital when he learned that nine Israeli soldiers had stormed his home, questioning his wife, Suha Adra, about his whereabouts and searching her phone while their nine-month-old daughter was present.

The raid, which Adra described as “horrific,” forced him to spend the night outside the village, unable to return due to soldiers blocking the entrance. He expressed concern about the risk of being detained. The Israeli military stated that their forces were deployed to the area following reports of Palestinians throwing rocks, resulting in injuries to two Israeli civilians. They indicated that they continued to search the village and question locals.

Adra contended that the settlers had instigated the violence, denying any involvement from the villagers. Footage captured by Adra’s cousin, which was reviewed by the Associated Press, shows settlers attacking his brother, Adam, who sustained bruises to his hand, elbow, and chest. Another clip shows a settler physically attacking a solidarity activist in an olive grove.

Adra’s work as a journalist and filmmaker has focused on chronicling settler violence in Masafer Yatta, an area in the southern West Bank where he was born. He highlighted a growing intensity of targeting against him and his colleagues since their documentary, No Other Land, won an Oscar for Best Documentary earlier this year. The film depicts the struggles of residents in Masafer Yatta against Israeli military demolitions of their villages.

Adra’s co-director, Hamdan Ballal, was assaulted by settlers in March 2023, which Adra noted as part of a disturbing pattern. He stated, “Even if you are just filming the settlers, the army comes and chases you, searches your house. The whole system is built to attack us, to terrify us, to make us very scared.”

Another co-director, Yuval Abraham, expressed his fear for Adra, stating, “What happened today in his village, we’ve seen this dynamic again and again, where the Israeli settlers brutally attack a Palestinian village and later on the army comes, and attacks the Palestinians.”

The documentary No Other Land has received multiple international accolades, including recognition at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024. While it has garnered praise, it has also faced backlash in Israel and internationally for its portrayal of the ongoing conflict. The events surrounding Adra’s home raid highlight the increasing tensions in the region and the personal risks faced by those documenting the situation.