Brad Lander detained during West Bank olive harvest, later released, Ynet reports
The Democratic congressional nominee was accompanying Palestinian farmers near Nahalin when Israeli troops detained people in the fields, according to two reports.
Brad Lander, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 10th Congressional District, was detained by Israeli authorities on Wednesday, October 21, while accompanying Palestinian farmers during an olive harvest near Nahalin in the occupied West Bank. Ynet News reported that he was later released with a warning. The detention brought a US congressional candidate into a dispute over farmers’ access to land during the harvest.
Reuters reported that Lander was among 90 people detained, attributing that figure to the Israeli rights group Rabbis for Human Rights. Ynet, citing the group, said about 80 American volunteers and activists were accompanying the farmers near Nahalin, southwest of Bethlehem. The first figure is the reported number detained; the second is the approximate number of American volunteers present.
What happened in the olive grove near Nahalin
According to the group’s account published by Ynet, the volunteers had worked in the fields for about two hours before Israeli troops arrived and presented an order declaring the area a closed military zone for 24 hours. The group said the volunteers told the troops they would comply and leave, but were detained for identification checks. Soldiers photographed identity cards and passports, Ynet reported.
Lander posted on X that he had been detained with rabbis and volunteers, according to Ynet. ‘We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank,’ he wrote. ‘Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know.’ Ynet said he posted a photograph showing himself aboard a bus with other activists and Israeli soldiers.
Farmers’ access to land during the West Bank harvest
Rabbis for Human Rights said the Palestinian farmers had been unable to access their land since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Ynet. The group regularly accompanies farmers during the West Bank olive harvest, where disputes over access to agricultural land and tensions between Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents have disrupted harvesting, Ynet reported.
Lander previously served as New York City comptroller and ran for mayor. A political ally of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, he is seeking a US House seat in next month’s election. He has criticized Israel’s war in Gaza. Neither Israel Police nor the US Embassy in Jerusalem had immediately commented, according to Reuters and Ynet. It was not immediately clear why authorities detained him.
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Sources and context
- US Democratic congressional nominee Lander detained by Israeli authorities in West BankReuters, republished by Al-Monitor
- IDF detains US congressional candidate Brad Lander in West BankYnet News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.