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‘No Other Land’ Director Uses More Lies to Attack Israel After Rock Throwing Incident in West Bank
Oscar-winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal (2nd L) is greeted by family and friends upon his arrival in the village of Susya. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa via Reuters Connect
“Beaten bloody.” “Attacked by a group of about 15 armed settlers.” Assaulted with “brass knuckles and the butt of a rifle to his head.” And later, struck by Israeli soldiers who supposedly “beat him with the butt of their rifles.”
These were just a few of the claims — or variations of them — breathlessly told by The New York Times, Sky News, CNN, The Guardian, and the BBC — based entirely on accounts from so-called “activists on the scene.”
At the center of the chaos was none other than Hamdan Ballal, one of the Palestinian activist-filmmakers behind the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.
According to the media, Ballal was the helpless victim of a brutal settler assault near his home in the West Bank village of Susya.
But the reality — once again — is likely far different from the cinematic version.
What appears to have occurred is now backed by evidence. And it matches what the IDF said from the start: Hamdan Ballal was in the vicinity of a group of Palestinians who were throwing rocks — not at Israeli soldiers, but at Israeli civilians.
The IDF confirmed a confrontation then broke out between local Israelis and Palestinians, prompting the arrival of soldiers attempting to break up the violence. One Israeli had to be evacuated for medical treatment. As security forces tried to intervene, Palestinians began hurling rocks at them as well.
Three Palestinians were arrested, including Ballal, as well as one Israeli involved in the violence. The IDF facilitated medical treatment for all three Palestinian detainees after one requested evaluation. All were questioned on suspicion of rock-hurling, property damage, and endangering public safety, then released the next day under conditions restricting contact with others involved. The investigation remains ongoing, with further arrests expected.
Not only is this account supported by IDF reports, but it’s also reportedly backed up by video footage posted on social media. Although it cannot be confirmed if Ballal appears in one clip, it does, however, show Palestinians hurling rocks around sunset; another shows a later clash with a group of Israelis.
And then there’s the video of Ballal himself, exiting the detention facility the following day.
For a man allegedly struck unconscious with a rifle butt to the head, he did not look as though he had sustained serious injuries. There were no visible marks on his skull. The only real sign of “trauma” seemed to be a pronounced limp as he walked out of detention — directly into the waiting arms of eager Western journalists who had camped out for the big moment.
Among them was BBC correspondent Dan Johnson, who dutifully made the trek to the West Bank for the scoop.
Bylined from Susya, Johnson gravely noted that just three weeks ago, Ballal had stood “before the world’s cameras in Hollywood.”
Now, “the cameras were watching him” again — this time as he held a hand to his “bruised face” and walked away in “bloodstained clothes” after “almost 24 hours in Israeli detention.”
The night before, Ballal told reporters, “settlers and soldiers [were] attacking my home,” adding, “They started beating me and threatening me with their guns.”
So in the interest of transparency, we’ve embedded the video below:
Take a look for yourself: the “bloodstained clothes” appears to be a reference to a small, dark smudge on Ballal’s sweater. The “bruised face” is a faint mark under one eye. And that “awkward” gait? An exaggerated limp that could be performance-ready.
There are times when media bias is subtle. When context is missing or facts are distorted, we can point it out, offer clarification, and correct lazy reporting.
But sometimes — like now — the media’s reporting doesn’t just miss the mark. It exposes itself.
This isn’t journalism. It’s leading with a narrative and then hoping there are supporting facts.
The same tired script: the blameless Palestinian activist, the violent Israeli settlers, the faceless, brutal IDF.
If you thought No Other Land had plot holes, just wait until you see the sequel.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post ‘No Other Land’ Director Uses More Lies to Attack Israel After Rock Throwing Incident in West Bank first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.