Dear all,

This is Basel, Yuval, Hamdan, and Rachel — the Palestinian and Israeli directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.

We’re writing to you with a personal and urgent request.

The Israeli army has just announced its plan to demolish one of the Palestinian villages featured in our film, Umm Al-Khair, a small, beautiful community in Masafer Yatta, with demolitions set to begin on Monday, November 10th*. This is our worst nightmare. The very reason we made No Other Land was to try to prevent exactly this from happening. 

Umm Al-Khair is the home of our dear friend Awdah Hathaleen — an activist, teacher, and documentarian who was instrumental in the making of our film. Three months ago, Awdah was murdered by an already sanctioned Israeli settler who invaded the village to violently force residents to leave. Instead of being held accountable, his killer was released — and now the Israeli military is preparing to finish what he started by destroying every home in Umm Al-Khair, and forcibly displacing families—some of whom have lived and cared for the land for generations. 

These demolition orders come after years of escalating violence and dispossession: the murder of village leader Haj Suleiman, near-daily settler attacks, the demolition of over 100 structures, and the construction of an illegal Israeli outpost in the heart of the village. Now, they plan to destroy Umm Al-Khair entirely, starting on Monday of next week. Awdah’s wife, parents, and siblings are still mourning his death, and are once again under threat of becoming homeless. These home demolitions are part of the broader system of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing across the West Bank, which Israel continues to carry out with impunity.

This cannot be allowed to continue .

The only thing that might stop it now is international pressure — from political leaders, artists, civil society and NGOs alike.

We know many of you have seen No Other Land and understand the injustice it portrays. We also understand how it can be difficult to speak out. But silence now would mean complicity in the erasure of everything Awdah and the people of Umm Al-Khair have fought for. We spent five years working on a film because we believed it can empower our fight for justice and human rights. This continued injustice puts not only Palestinian lives at risk, but also sets further  precedence for abuse of marginalized communities around the world.

Stand with us, as we call for three simple demands:

WE DEMAND

An immediate freeze and cancellation of all demolition orders in Umm Al-Khair.

Approval of Umm Al-Khair’s master plan so residents can build legally on their own land.

Justice for Awdah Hathaleen and full accountability for his murder.

Please join us, add your name. Speak out. Call on your representatives. Help us stop the demolitions.

→ SIGN NOW

With urgency and hope,

Basel, Yuval, Hamdan, and Rachel

Directors of No Other Land

*On Nov 10, the demolition order was postponed. Violence and destruction continue to escalate across the West Bank, and Umm Al-Khair still faces imminent demolition.