Israeli Forces Block Media Tour in West Bank Village of Palestinian Director Basel Adra

TUWANI– Israeli forces on Monday barred international journalists from entering the village of Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra, preventing a planned media tour aimed at spotlighting intensifying Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank.

Adra, co-director of the award-winning documentary “No Other Land”, had invited international media to Tuwani, his home village in Masafer Yatta, alongside Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham, to witness the aftermath of recent house demolitions and settler violence.

Upon arrival at the village entrance, journalists from AFP and other outlets—along with a Palestinian Authority delegation—were stopped by Israeli troops who cited a warrant allowing them to establish a one-day checkpoint. The Israeli army claimed the measure was necessary to “keep public order” amid alleged clashes involving settlers, Palestinians, and media.

Abraham denounced the move, calling it a “clear example of how the Israeli state facilitates settler violence,” accusing soldiers not only of inaction but of participating in assaults on Palestinians. Adra echoed the concerns, saying, “Settler violence is increasing rapidly. Demolitions by Israeli soldiers targeting our homes, schools, and property are at unprecedented levels.”

Adra’s film, which recently received international acclaim, documents the forced displacement of Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta—an area Israel designated a closed military zone in the 1980s. Last week, settlers reportedly entered Khallet al-Dabaa, a hamlet bulldozed by the Israeli army in early May, harassing remaining residents.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli settler attacks have injured at least 220 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of 2025. The Palestinian health ministry reports that over 937 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the region since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Meanwhile, 35 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed during clashes or attacks in the West Bank in the same period.

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Abraham expressed frustration over the lack of international response: “The world now knows what’s happening, but there is no action.”

The West Bank remains under Israeli occupation since 1967 and is home to approximately three million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers, whose settlements are deemed illegal under international law.