We the undersigned members of the Australian screen industries, and other concerned Australians, call upon the Australian Government to revoke the Australia/Israel Coproduction Treaty which exists to foster cultural and technical development and exchange by facilitating international film co-productions with Israel. 

This week it was reported that award winning filmmaker, Hamdan Ballal, co-director of "No Other Land", which earlier this month won the Oscar for Best Documentary, was attacked by settlers on the West Bank and subsequently arrested by Israeli Defence Forces. Thankfully, after further mistreatment, he has since been released

As a nation which has a long and prestigious history of producing quality documentaries, Australia must not be silent about threats and intimidation directed toward a fellow filmmaker. Freedom of expression in documentary (and other forms of art and media) is essential to democracy. Australia should not partner with nations that perpetrate terror against filmmakers.

We call upon the Minister for the Arts to formally revoke Australia’s co-production treaty with Israel. We also ask that he meet with the Israeli Ambassador to Australia as a matter of urgency to convey the screen industry’s grave concerns about the treatment of Hamdan Ballal and to demand an end to intimidation and terrorising of filmmakers, artists and media workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.