Palestinian filmmaker turns lens on occupation

Oscar-winner Basel Adra documents life under Israeli rule in West Bank

AT TUWANI, WEST BANK:

Armed with his camera, Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra has spent years in the occupied West Bank, documenting what he describes as the impunity enjoyed by Israelis in their mistreatment of Palestinians.

From his terrace, he points to the nearby Israeli settlement of Maon, just a short distance away. The view appears calm, but he said incidents involving settlers and Israeli soldiers occur almost daily.

The situation has only worsened since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, said Adra, the co-director of 'No Other Land', a documentary he made with Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham that won an Academy Award this year.

"The world allows Israelis — and gives them the impunity — to commit crimes," the 29-year-old filmmaker told AFP at his home in the village of At Tuwani. "Dozens of Palestinian communities and villagers have fled from their homes during this time due to settler and occupation forces' violence, attacks and killings."

In the nine months since accepting his Oscar in Hollywood, Adra has given scores of interviews and filmed hundreds of videos documenting settler violence carried out under army protection.

Taking a team of AFP journalists on a tour to illustrate the difficulties of life for Palestinians in the West Bank, Adra led them to the nearby Bedouin village of Umm al-Khair. To reach it, one must pass an Israeli settlement. On a wall, an inscription in Arabic reads: "No future for Palestine."

Since the war in Gaza began with Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, settler and army assaults in the West Bank have killed around 1,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah. During the same period, Palestinian attacks in the same region have killed at least 43 Israelis, including soldiers, according to official Israeli figures.