Oscar-winning No Other Land director Basel Adra, a Palestinian filmmaker, has arrived in Türkiye. He made exclusive comments to Sabah.com.tr. Adra mentioned that he faced difficulties reaching Türkiye due to blockades at Israeli checkpoints, saying, "What we experienced is not an exception; every second of our lives is controlled by Israel."
Adra, who was in Türkiye as a guest of the Institute Social for the Halkbank Genciz Summit, described his film as "both a form of resistance and a documentation process." Regarding the purpose of No Other Land, Adra stated:
"I wanted the world to see that we exist, that we live here, and what this brutal occupation does to us every day."
The director explained the challenges he faced trying to get to Türkiye: "We set out on Tuesday to cross into Jordan, but as soon as we arrived at the border, the Israeli occupation forces closed the crossing. My colleague and I, along with thousands of others, had to wait in the sun from 6 AM until 3 PM. We had to spend a whole day and night at the border."
Adra emphasized that this is a daily reality for Palestinians: "Israel decides when we can leave, when we can return... They even control when we can move between our cities and villages."
He also mentioned that he filmed No Other Land over five years with two Israeli activist journalists, motivated by the goal of showing the world what is happening and pressuring international politics to stop Israel's crimes against Palestinians.
Adra issued a strong challenge to those who question the reality of life in Palestine: "Those who don't believe or deny it, should come just once, see with their own eyes, and hear with their own ears. Israel hasn't only killed Palestinians; international activists who showed solidarity have been killed too."
Adra also reminded the public of the murder of Turkish-American activist Ayşe and other foreign volunteers, urging the global community to stop ignoring the reality.
While recognizing that there is solidarity with Palestine worldwide, Adra emphasized that it's not enough: "We want people not just to hear, but to protest, to take action, and for this to lead to political change."
