‘No Other Land’ co-creator shot dead in the West Bank
A Palestinian activist, who helped to create the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, has been shot dead by an alleged Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank.
Community activist Odeh Hathalin, otherwise known as Awdah Hathaleen, helped to create the Academy Award-winning documentary depicting life in the West Bank, alongside directors Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham. He was killed after being shot in the chest on July 28th.
The news of his death was shared on X by Israeli journalist Abraham, who called Hathalin a “remarkable activist”. He also claimed that the alleged suspect had been identified locally as Yinon Levi, a member of a group of Israeli settlers operating in the West Bank who have previously been sanctioned by both the UK and EU.
Alongside his post, Abraham shared a video of Levi shooting a gun, although he did not make clear whether this footage was related to the incident in which Hathalin was killed.
According to Israeli media, Hathalin was arrested on the same day as the shooting but was released on house arrest on July 29th, while police continue their investigations into what happened.
No Other Land’s fellow co-director Adra also posted on X: “I can hardly believe it. My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening. He was standing in front of the community centre in his village when a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life. This is how Israel erases us — one life at a time.”
During the filming for No Other Land, Hathalin helped journalists gain access to his village of Umm Al-Khier, where he was an English teacher and father of three, and even helped to shoot parts of the film himself.
It won big at this year’s Oscars, taking home the prize for ‘Best Documentary’. However, in the months following, a number of the filmmakers have been targeted in violent attacks, including co-director Hamdan Ballal.
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