No Other Land co-director Yuival Abraham on Thursday slammed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for not mentioning Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal in its statement condemning attacks on artists around the world.

Abraham, the Israeli journalist and filmmaker who co-directed the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, shared a screenshot of the Academy’s statement, which was addressed to its members across the globe.

Ballal was allegedly attacked by Israeli settlers earlier this week and subsequently detained by the Israeli army.

The statement, signed by Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang, was sent out on Wednesday night but made no direct reference to the incident.

“The Academy condemns harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints,” the letter read. “We are living in a time of profound change, marked by conflict and uncertainty – across the globe, in the US and within our own industry. Understandably, we are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political and economic events. In these instances, it is important to note that the Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.”

Yuval Abraham, who had previously criticised the Academy for its silence regarding Ballal’s detention, accused the Academy of attempting to justify its lack of response.

“After our criticism, the Academy’s leaders sent out this email to members explaining their silence on Hamdan’s assault: they need to respect ‘unique viewpoints’,” he wrote.

Abraham also compared the Academy’s response to a 2011 statement in which it strongly condemned the Iranian government for arresting six filmmakers, including acclaimed director Jafar Panahi.

No Other Land, which won the Best Documentary Oscar earlier this month, follows a Palestinian family in the West Bank as they struggle against the destruction of their home and the threat of displacement by Israeli authorities.

The Academy’s response contrasts sharply with statements of solidarity from various film industry organisations. The International Documentary Association issued a statement in support of Ballal, while a petition calling for his release gathered thousands of signatures from prominent filmmakers and artists, including Guy Pearce, Alex Gibney, Christine Vachon, Liz Garbus, and Ava DuVernay.

Additionally, a coalition of U.S. film critics’ groups — including members of the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the Boston Society of Film Critics — issued a statement on Thursday condemning the attack on Ballal.

“As critics representing four of the numerous organisations that honoured No Other Land as the best documentary of 2024, we are infuriated that a filmmaker’s brave and principled advocacy has made him even more of a target in a community where Palestinians already exist under continual threat of displacement and violence,” the statement read.

The Academy is yet to issue any further comment in response to the growing backlash.