Congressional Candidate Brad Lander Detained by Israeli Forces While Harvesting Olives in the West Bank
Brad Lander, the Democratic nominee for a Brooklyn congressional seat, was detained by the Israel Defense Forces while harvesting olives in the West Bank, he said on Wednesday. He was later released with a warning.
The former New York City comptroller and council member joined rabbis and other volunteers in Protect the Harvest, a non-profit that helps Palestinian farmers in the West Bank harvest their olives, according to his campaign.
Lander, who is Jewish and has been vocal in his support for Palestinians, said in a campaign video posted on Tuesday night, before the incident: 'There are Israelis and American Jews and people from all around the world trying to provide a protective presence as part of this broader effort.'
He told reporters that the group harvested olives on Monday and Tuesday without incident. During the harvesting on Wednesday, however, the group was stopped by armed military personnel and uniformed police and placed on buses, according to Lander and other volunteers who filmed the incident.
'I've been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis and volunteers. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank,' Lander wrote on social media, sharing a selfie from the bus taking the group away. 'The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn't a crime under any law I know,' he added.
Later on Wednesday, Lander posted that the IDF had released him from custody 'with a warning,' apparently because of his public profile. 'I told them I wasn't even a congressmember yet, just a nominee,' he wrote in a post that included video from inside the bus. He said several dozen rabbis and participants were still being detained when he was released.
Israeli authorities said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon that most of the detained volunteers had been released. The IDF said: 'Regarding reports of the detention of a congressional candidate, we note that he was released once the matter was brought to our attention.'
The IDF added that the plot in question requires only a small number of harvesters to collect its produce, and that the security establishment views the arrival of dozens of activists as an act intended solely to provoke, which undermines the harvesting process.
The group of volunteers, which included the non-profit Rabbis for Human Rights, disputed allegations that they had not followed protocol and said they were harvesting peacefully. Anton Goodman, the organisation's acting executive director, said in a statement: 'We came to accompany farmers to land they have not been able to reach in three years, and after two hours of quiet harvesting large forces arrived and closed the area. No one could have known about this order in advance.' He added: 'Instead of protecting people working their own land, the army is removing them from it, and detaining those who came to stand beside them.'
Israel's Foreign Ministry criticised Lander in a social media post on Wednesday, calling the incident a 'stunt.' The ministry alleged that Lander's team had contacted Israeli representatives in the United States ahead of his visit and was explicitly informed that proper coordination with the relevant authorities was required, and that he chose to ignore those instructions.
At a news conference later on Wednesday, Lander said the foreign ministry's statement contained 'multiple lies.' He said he had informed the US embassy of his trip, and the embassy replied without giving any direction that his group had to coordinate with Israeli authorities about the harvesting. 'When we got off the bus, and I want to make clear, we didn't go through a checkpoint. We didn't pass any Israeli military or any kind of security. There was no notice that this was a security area, and everyone who looked on the maps saw this morning that this was not a closed military zone or a designated security area,' he said.
Lander won the Democratic primary in June, beating US Representative Dan Goldman, who represents parts of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan that are heavily Democratic. Endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other progressive Democrats, Lander faces Republican nominee Jennifer Moore in the general election.
Mamdani released a statement on Wednesday criticising the Israeli government for detaining Lander and the other activists, some of whom are New Yorkers. 'I am thankful that Brad has been released. But other New Yorkers remain detained, and they must be released immediately,' he said.
A State Department spokesman said the department was aware of reports of Americans detained in the West Bank. 'The Trump Administration takes its commitment to assist Americans abroad seriously and we are tracking the situation,' he said, adding that when Americans are detained abroad, the department works on their behalf to obtain access to adequate medical care, proper treatment and consular visits.
