The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country’s highest Islamic authority, has expressed outrage and grief following reports that Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the award-winning documentary No Other Land, was violently assaulted by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. The attack, which occurred on March 26, 2025, has drawn global condemnation and reignited criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians—a systemic issue the film starkly exposes. MUI Chairman Prof. KH. Nasaruddin Umar called the assault “a barbaric act reflecting Israel’s impunity,” while urging Muslim nations to unite against what he termed “U.S.-enabled oppression.”
Background: No Other Land and Its Impact
No Other Land, co-directed by Ballal and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, chronicles the harrowing displacement of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, a cluster of villages in the South Hebron Hills. Since the 1980s, Israel has designated the area as a military “Firing Zone 918,” using this status to forcibly evict over 1,300 Palestinians. The film, which won the Best Documentary award at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival, juxtaposes archival footage of U.S. presidents endorsing Israeli policies with visceral scenes of home demolitions, settler violence, and Palestinian resilience. Its release coincided with renewed global protests against Israel’s occupation, particularly among youth movements in Western countries.
The Attack on Hamdan Ballal
Ballal, a Palestinian activist and filmmaker, was ambushed near his home in Hebron by masked settlers wielding iron rods, leaving him with a fractured arm and head injuries. Witnesses reported the assailants shouted racial slurs and warnings to “stop filming lies.” Israeli police have opened an investigation but made no arrests, a pattern critics say typifies lax enforcement against settler violence. Ballal, hospitalized in Ramallah, released a statement: “This attack won’t silence us. The world must see the truth.”
MUI’s Condemnation and Call to Action
The MUI, representing over 200 million Indonesian Muslims, issued a fatwa (religious edict) labeling Israel’s actions as “zhulm” (oppression) and urging Muslim nations to sever diplomatic and economic ties with Israel and its allies, notably the U.S. “Silence toward Israel’s crimes, funded by American tax dollars, makes the world complicit,” said Umar. The council announced plans to collaborate with global Islamic NGOs to fund legal aid for Palestinian victims and lobby the UN for sanctions.
International Reactions
The attack has amplified scrutiny of Israel’s escalating settler violence, which surged by 40% in 2024 according to UN data. Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate and Egypt’s Al-Azhar University echoed MUI’s condemnation, while the Arab League demanded ICC action against the assailants. In contrast, the U.S. State Department called for “restraint on all sides,” a response lambasted by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki as “morally bankrupt.”
Documentary as Resistance
No Other Land joins a growing canon of films challenging mainstream narratives about Israel-Palestine, such as 5 Broken Cameras and The Present. Ballal and Abraham’s work has been screened clandestinely in parts of the U.S. and Europe, where pro-Israel groups have pressured theaters to cancel showings. Abraham, who is Jewish, told The Guardian: “This film isn’t anti-Israel—it’s anti-oppression. The attack on Hamdan proves how terrified extremists are of the truth.”
U.S. Role Under Scrutiny
The documentary highlights decades of U.S. diplomatic and military support for Israel, including a $38 billion aid package (2016–2028) and vetoes of UN resolutions critical of settlements. President Joe Biden’s 2023 remark—“No U.S. president will abandon Israel”—is featured alongside footage of U.S.-made bulldozers razing Palestinian homes. With the U.S. supplying 85% of Israel’s arms imports, activists argue Washington bears direct responsibility for enabling violence.
Domestic and Regional Implications
Indonesia, which has no formal ties with Israel, has long positioned itself as a Palestinian ally. The MUI’s stance aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s 2024 campaign pledge to advocate for Palestine at the UN. However, Jakarta faces diplomatic tightropes, as U.S. pressure has stalled earlier efforts to rally ASEAN consensus against Israel.
Human Rights and Legal Pushback
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, are petitioning the ICC to investigate the attack on Ballal as a potential war crime. Meanwhile, Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard warned that settler violence, often tacitly endorsed by far-right ministers, risks triggering a third intifada.
The assault on Hamdan Ballal underscores the peril faced by those documenting Israel’s occupation—and the escalating global divide over Palestine. As the MUI mobilizes religious solidarity, No Other Land amplifies Palestinian voices in a media landscape often skewed by geopolitical interests. With U.S. hegemony waning and Global South nations increasingly vocal, Indonesia’s moral stance could galvanize a broader challenge to the status quo. Yet, as Ballal’s camera continues rolling, the question remains: Will evidence of injustice translate into meaningful change, or will the world keep looking away?
