A Palestinian activist-journalist who helped make the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land was shot dead by an Israeli settler in West Bank, the film's co-director Yuvan Abraham said Wednesday.
Abraham confirmed the death of Awdah Hathaleen on X. “Odeh [Hathaleen] just died. Murdered,” Abraham wrote. Prior to sharing the tweet, he had posted a video showing the confrontation that led to Hathaleen’s death.
In the video, the Israeli settler, identified by residents as Yinon Levi, can be seen pushing people into a group and pointing his pistol at them. It also shows him firing at people gathered at the place.
Other videos show Hathaleen confronting a bulldozer driving through the West Bank when Yinon Levi appeared with a gun and began shooting.
Levi was among the 13 hard-line Israeli settlers targeted last year by international sanctions for their alleged attacks and harassment of Palestinians in the West Bank, according to The Los Angeles Times. President Trump lifted US sanctions against the Israelis back in January.
The incident occurred in the village of Umm al-Khair in the Masafer Yatta region where No Other Land was based. Hathaleen was rushed to a hospital in Israel, where he was pronounced dead, his family confirmed to the New York Times. He was 31.
In June, Hathaleen was denied entry into the United States after he arrived at San Francisco International Airport for an interfaith speaking tour with his cousin. In March, his fellow No Other Land co-director Hamdan Ballal was detained by the Israeli forces in the village of Susiya and was held captive for more than 20 hours.
For the documentary No Other Land, Ballal collaborated with Abraham, fellow Palestinian filmmaker-activist Basel Adra, and Israeli cinematographer, editor and director Rachel Szor.
No Other Land captures the destruction of the occupied West Bank's Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and highlights the alliance which develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval. It won the best documentary award at Oscars this year.
No Other Land had its world premiere at 2023 Berlinale, where it won the Audience Award and Berlinale Documentary Award. However, Abraham sparked controversy for criticising a “situation of apartheid” in Israel and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in his acceptance speech.
Following its premiere, No Other Land has won awards at 68 film festivals, including the BAFTA Award, European Film Award, IDA Awards and Gotham Independent Film Awards. It won the Best Documentary trophy at the Oscars.
