Spain condemns attack on Oscar-winning Palestinian director

ATHENS

Spain on Wednesday condemned an attack by Israeli settlers on Oscar-winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal in the occupied West Bank.

“I strongly condemn settler violence in the West Bank, particularly in Masafer Yatta and Susya,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on social media.

“I wish a speedy recovery to film director Hamdan Ballal, a symbol today of the suffering of innocent civilians in Palestine,” he added.

Witnesses said Ballal was violently attacked by a group of around 15 armed settlers in his home village of Susya. He was later detained and released by Israeli authorities.

Ballal won the 2025 Oscar for his documentary No Other Land, which depicts the impunity and brutality of settler violence in the area.

Israel’s plan to legalize more settlements

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Sunday that the Security Cabinet approved a plan to separate and legalize 13 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, calling it “another important step on the path to actual (Israeli) sovereignty” in the area.

According to Palestinian reports, approximately 770,000 Israeli settlers were living in 180 illegal settlements and 256 outposts across the occupied territory by the end of 2024.

The UN considers all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal under international law and warns that their continued expansion jeopardizes efforts toward a two-state solution.

Tensions remain high across the occupied West Bank, where attacks by the Israeli army and settlers have killed at least 938 Palestinians and injured nearly 7,000 since Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip began in October 2023.

The International Court of Justice ruled last July that Israel's longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.