No Other Land: The Struggle for Palestinian Liberation Continues
By Esther Kabwika
The Oscar-winning documentary feature, directed by: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamad Ballal, and Rachel Szor, depicts the lives of the villagers of Masafer Yatta and their struggle against the occupation.
No Other Land (2024) depicts an unflinchingly dark reality of a people surviving under occupation. Its subject, the villagers, are forced to face violence and the threat of violence on their land on a near daily basis. They are forced to witness the building of illegal settlements and military zones on top of their land. By hardly editing or polishing the raw footage, the documentary captures the sheer brutality of settler colonialism. Abraham and Adra, the lead directors, clearly understood that they were simply bringing attention to this decades long struggle for peace and liberation.
The harrowing scenes of weekly destruction, demolition and ruthless evictions emotionally destroyed me as a viewer. The documentary provides visual clarity on just how familiar trauma and physical instability is to the Palestinian people. I could not hold back my tears as I watched what I have been seeing happen to Gaza, Rafah and countless other cities and villages surrounding the West Bank. This documentary does so well what mainstream news fails to do — it humanises its subject. Free from sensationalism and anything that detracts from the message of the feature.
It is important to bring attention to the unlikely friendship between Israeli journalist and film director Yuval Abraham and Palestinian film director Basel Adra. They came together as activists, writing articles about the situation in Masafer Yatta 5 years ago. In an interview with BOMB magazine, Abraham and Adra shared their friendship dynamic and how that affected the making of the documentary. In answering this, Adra explained that, “It was very important for us to not just show friendship, a normal relationship, but to also show how the lives of Palestinians and Israelis are different”. Abraham, adding to this, explaining that “The film is a five-year documentation of ongoing war crimes. That’s a big part of the film. Through home demolitions, this community where Basel lives is being destroyed every week” [1]. It was incredibly important for Abraham to recognise his privilege as an Israeli whilst making this film because despite them both working under immensely stressful and life-threatening conditions, it was Basel and his community that lived in fear of the gun, not him.
As previously mentioned, No Other Land received critical acclaim, but due to its undeniable political stance, it was met with controversy. In Abraham’s portion of the acceptance speech, he urged that “There is a different path. A political solution. Without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people”, and that US foreign policy was blocking that path [2]. According to some critics, the film was antisemitic but for others it did not go far enough in detailing how complicit Israelis have been in what the ICJ has declared “unlawful occupation” and a “vindication of Palestinians’ rights” [3].
I believe that both Abraham and Adra’s friendship is representative of an on-going struggle for true solidarity between Israelis and Palestinians which is highlighted in No Other Land with sensitivity and care. The documentary clearly does not attempt to sugar-coat what the Palestinians are currently enduring. More importantly, the film warns of the dangers of normalising such violence and dehumanisation. No one is above becoming complicit, but it is our (the audience and wider society’s) responsibility to come together to fight with and for the oppressed.
Whether or not the documentary won an Oscar, meaning that it has received official validation from Western media, the directors stressed that this project will not miraculously stop the copious amounts of funding the US provides to the Israeli military, but it will continue crucial dialogue in the Palestinian liberation movement and that despite the enormous challenges the movement has faced/is facing, a free Palestine can be a reality.
In conclusion, No Other Land is not just a documentary—it is a powerful, emotional call to action. It serves as a reminder that the struggle for justice and human rights is not confined to political borders or media soundbites but is deeply personal and ongoing. Abraham and Adra have given the world a rare, unfiltered glimpse into the resilience of the Palestinian people, showing not only their suffering but their unwavering will to survive and resist.
By focusing on the humanity of those affected, the film challenges us to reconsider our perceptions of conflict, justice, and solidarity. It asks viewers to reflect on their own roles in the global conversation and the actions they can take to support the oppressed.
[1] Williams, Conor. 2024. “BOMB Magazine | Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham by Conor Williams.” BOMB Magazine. 2024. https://bombmagazine.org/articles/2024/10/11/basel-adra-and-yuval-abraham-by-conor-williams/.
[2] Lee, Benjamin. 2025. “No Other Land Directors Criticise US as They Accept Documentary Oscar: ‘US Foreign Policy Is Helping Block the Path’ to Peace.” The Guardian. The Guardian. March 3, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/03/no-other-land-wins-best-documentary-feature-oscar.
[3] Amnesty International (2024) ICJ opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful is historic vindication of Palestinians’ rights. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/icj-opinion-declaring-israels-occupation-of-palestinian-territories-unlawful-is-historic-vindication-of-palestinians-rights/.
