Israeli forces on Monday stopped international journalists from entering the West Bank village of Basel Adra, the Palestinian filmmaker who recently won an award at the Berlinale for his documentary No Other Land, which highlights Israeli displacement of Palestinians.
The media delegation, including reporters from AFP and other outlets, had been invited by Adra and his Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham to visit Tuwani in the Masafer Yatta region — an area in the southern West Bank designated as a military firing zone by Israel since the 1980s. Their aim was to draw attention to increasing incidents of settler violence and the demolition of Palestinian homes in the area.
However, at the entrance to Tuwani, Israeli forces blocked access for both journalists and a Palestinian Authority delegation, citing a warrant for a temporary checkpoint. An Israeli officer on the scene, who refused to provide his name, said the measure was intended to “keep the public order” and prevent further clashes between settlers, Palestinians, and members of the press.
“There were violent clashes between settlers, Jews, Arabs, journalists, and to prevent these violent clashes, we decided not to allow passage today,” the officer told AFP.
Adra, who lives in the area, described the situation as deteriorating rapidly. “Settler violence has increased, and the demolitions carried out by Israeli soldiers and authorities against our homes, schools, and properties are increasing at a very crazy and high rate,” he said.
Abraham condemned the roadblock, calling it a “good example” of state complicity in the violence. “These police officers and soldiers that are here now to prevent the international media, not only do they not come to prevent the settler violence — often they partake in it,” he said.
He also expressed frustration that despite global recognition for their film, little had changed for people on the ground. “Unfortunately, the world now knows, but there is no action,” he added.
Adra also claimed that settlers had entered the nearby hamlet of Khallet al-Dabaa just last week, harassing residents who remained after the Israeli military razed the village earlier in May.
Masafer Yatta has long been at the centre of tensions, with Palestinian residents frequently reporting intimidation, attacks, and forced evictions. The area’s designation as a closed military zone has been used to justify demolitions, despite long-standing Palestinian presence.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has surged since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 220 Palestinians have been injured in settler attacks so far in 2025 alone.
Figures from the Palestinian health ministry say at least 937 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since the Gaza conflict began. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities report that 35 Israelis — including soldiers — have died during Palestinian attacks and clashes in the same period.
The West Bank, under Israeli occupation since 1967, is home to around three million Palestinians and roughly half a million Israeli settlers living in communities deemed illegal under international law.