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Palestinian documentary filmmaker Abdallah Motan has been held in Israeli custody for nine months without charges or trial, creating a troubling case in the systematic detention of Palestinian cultural workers. Arrested on January 13, 2025, at the Al-Karama crossing while attempting to leave the West Bank via Jordan, Motan was placed under administrative detention—a legal mechanism that allows imprisonment without judicial process—for an initial six-month term.

As of December 2025, there is no public confirmation whether Motan has been released following the expiration of his initial detention order in July, or whether Israeli authorities have extended his detention, a common practice that can continue indefinitely.

Motan, 30, is a documentary filmmaker and photographer whose work has been exhibited at international film festivals. In 2017, he co-founded the Al-Qamat Foundation, a Palestinian organization focused on documentary work. His film "Deferred Reclaim" won the Special Jury Prize in the Gaza section at the 18th Cinema Vérité International Documentary Film Festival in Tehran in December 2024, an award he was unable to attend due to conditions in Palestine. Motan has also been involved in organizing film workshops across Palestinian communities, training young people in documentary and photographic work.

From Gush Etzion to Ofer: Changes in Detention Conditions
According to reporting from the International Documentary Filmmakers Association (IDFA) in March 2025, Motan was transferred from Gush Etzion detention facility near Hebron to Ofer Prison near Ramallah. While the transfer allowed his lawyer to visit him, a significant development for legal representation, his family remained prohibited from visiting. His lawyer reported that Motan was "in relatively good health and spirits," an assessment offered during months of confinement without charges.idfa

Gush Etzion, where Motan was initially held, has been the subject of human rights documentation. In December 2024, weeks before Motan's arrest, Palestinian detainees at the facility suffered severe food poisoning from spoiled meals, with symptoms including extreme weakness, vomiting, and dehydration. The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs has documented reports of systematic abuse at the facility, including inadequate food provisions, violent responses to prisoner protests, beatings, and solitary confinement.

International Response and Solidarity
Motan's arrest has prompted formal responses from international film and human rights organizations. The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR), the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), PEN Norway, the Federation of European Screen Directors (FERA), and the Documentary and Experimental Film Center in Iran have issued statements calling for his immediate release.

These organizations emphasize that Motan's detention represents a violation of freedom of expression and an attempt to silence voices documenting conditions in occupied Palestinian territories. Film festivals have organized screenings of his work in solidarity, including events at institutions in Utrecht and Vienna as of late 2025.

The Practice of Administrative Detention
Administrative detention allows Israeli authorities to hold individuals indefinitely without charges, trial, or access to evidence against them. While international law permits such detention only under "imperative reasons of security" and requires fair hearings where detainees can challenge their detention, Israel has claimed continuous emergency status since 1948, enabling routine use of this mechanism

The scale of administrative detention has expanded significantly. As of September 2025, approximately 3,577 Palestinians were held under administrative detention—the highest number since the Second Intifada—with approximately 90 percent of appeals rejected by Israeli military courts. The system is documented to be used against journalists, human rights defenders, students, and cultural workers.

Broader Pattern of Targeting Cultural Workers
Motan's case reflects a documented pattern. Palestinian artists and cultural workers have been subject to arrest and detention. In January 2025, Afro-Palestinian dancer and cultural activist Shaden Al-Qous was arrested from her home in East Jerusalem. Oscar-winning co-director Hamdan Ballal of the film "No Other Land" was arrested in March 2025 after being attacked by settlers, and subsequently harassed in custody.

The Committee to Protect Journalists documented at least 43 film workers and journalists imprisoned by Israeli authorities at the time of Motan's arrest in January 2025. By August 2025, at least 192 journalists had been killed in Gaza, marking the deadliest period for journalists in CPJ's records.

What Remains Unknown
Critical questions remain unanswered: Has Motan been released after his six-month detention expired in July? Ongoing solidarity actions and screenings provide strong indication that Motan remains detained as of December 2025. Most recently, on December 6, 2025, his film "Deferred Reclaim" was screened at Vienna's International Political Film Festival (Carlota), followed by an online Q&A featuring "a comrade of detained filmmaker Abdallah Motan", language that explicitly describes him as currently detained. Throughout the post-July period, artists have created new works dedicated to him, organized public screenings, and maintained active advocacy campaigns, all framed as calls for his release rather than celebrations of it, with no official sources announcing or confirming his release

The international organizations calling for Motan's release continue to emphasize the importance of his case: it demonstrates how administrative detention operates as a tool to suppress Palestinian cultural expression and documentation.

Palestinian documentary filmmaker Abdallah Motan has been held under Israeli administrative detention since January 2025 without charges or trial. Motan, known for his acclaimed film Deferred Reclaim and work with the Al-Qamat Foundation, represents thetargeting of Palestinian cultural workers.

International organizations and film communities have called for his release, organizing solidarity screenings and advocacy campaigns. His case underscores the urgent need to protect freedom of expression and the rights of artists under occupation.

#Palestine #HumanRights #DocumentaryFilm #FreedomOfExpression #FilmIndustry #CulturalRights #AdministrativeDetention #AbdallahMotan #ArtistsAtRisk #Solidarity

[All sources cited are from research conducted in December 2025]

Palestinian Filmmaker Abdallah Motan Detained Indefinitely?

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