The Case of Ballal: Masked Israeli Squatters and Palestinians in Susya, Israel, Revisited by the Center for Jewish Nonviolence

Ballal told The Associated Press that he was beaten by a known settlers who had previously threatened him. The Israeli authorities blindfolded him while he was being held.

Masked settlers also attacked Jewish activists at the scene, according to video seen by NPR provided by the group Center for Jewish Nonviolence. The group says it was in a village to document and try to de-escalate the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Activists and residents say the attacks are done to frighten Palestinians into leaving their land. Israeli security forces often turn a blind eye to settler violence.

Ballal and other filmmakers accepted an Oscar in Los Angeles for a film that documents the struggles of living under Israeli occupation and the displacement of Palestinians.

The court expressed concern about Israel’s failure to protect them in a ruling last year, and the government must protect Palestinians against future attacks even in complicated circumstances.

The director of the documentary on the scene, who was also on the scene, said that even though the police tried to get the masked Israeli attackers away from the Palestinians, they didn’t succeed. The claim was not commented on by the Israeli military.

The group of Israeli assailants, some masked, soon joined the others on the outskirts of the village, where they attacked two Palestinian homes, they said.

Nasser Nawaja, a fieldworker for the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem who lives in Susya, and other Palestinians said the confrontation began after the town’s residents had sought to drive away Israeli shepherds herding livestock on land claimed by the village.

President Trump has taken a softer stance on settler violence, canceling sanctions imposed by the Biden administration against individuals accused of carrying out violent acts against Palestinians. On Tuesday, a confirmation hearing for Mike Huckabee, Mr. Trump’s pick for ambassador to Israel and an outspoken supporter of settlement building, was underway.

Israeli officials rarely take action against the perpetrators, according to human rights groups. A majority of police investigations are closed without charges for attacks on Palestinians by Israelis.

One Israeli settler, a minor, was also detained. The Israeli police said he had been released to receive medical treatment and would be questioned later.

The director of the Oscar-winning documentary was released by the Israeli authorities on Tuesday morning after he was held overnight for alleged affiliation with Israeli settlers in the West Bank.