U.S. Congressional Candidate Brad Lander Detained, Then Released, During West Bank Olive Harvest

U.S. Congressional Candidate Brad Lander Detained, Then Released, During West Bank Olive Harvest

Lander and About 80 Volunteers Detained Near Nahalin Olive Grove

Brad Lander, the Democratic nominee for New York's 10th Congressional District and former New York City comptroller, was detained Wednesday by Israeli security forces while accompanying Palestinian farmers harvesting olives near the West Bank village of Nahalin. NPR reported that Lander was detained along with about 80 American and Israeli rabbis and activists, in what it described as the largest mass detention of activists in the occupied West Bank. The Guardian put the number at about 80 U.S., Israeli and British volunteers, including Lander, several rabbis and Israel's former deputy attorney general Yehoshua Schoffman. The group Rabbis for Human Rights, via Reuters, put the figure at about 90.

Released With a Warning; Dozens Still Held

Lander posted on X that he had been detained by the IDF, writing, "We were simply harvesting olives in a grove." He later posted that he had been released. The Hill, citing Israeli police, said Lander was "released after it became known that he was a congressional candidate." The Guardian, citing the Protect the Harvest coalition, said Lander was "released with a warning" while the others remained in custody. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani thanked God Lander was released but demanded the other detained New Yorkers be freed immediately.

IDF Calls Harvest "Uncoordinated" and a Security Risk

In a statement, the Israeli military said harvesting in the area requires farmers to submit requests to authorities before the olive harvest season to coordinate "security of the area and maintain public order," and that Palestinians in this area did not submit a request. NY1 quoted the IDF calling the harvest "uncoordinated" and a "security risk," while stressing that authorized olive harvests have taken place and continue to take place. A military official told JNS the plot "does not appear on the area's coordination maps" and that the arrival of dozens of activists was "an act intended solely to provoke."

Lander's Record of Criticizing Israel's Occupation

Lander, an ally of Mayor Mamdani, has been a vocal critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and has supported restricting U.S. military aid to Israel. The Guardian reported he condemns Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and believes Israel's post-October 7 military campaign amounts to genocide. Fox News reported that the group he was with, Rabbis for Human Rights, posted a photo of Lander and quoted him saying Palestinians have a right to harvest their land in peace.

Detention Follows a Violent Olive Harvest Season

NPR noted the detentions came less than a week after American photojournalist Heidi Levine was assaulted by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Time News reported volunteers from Rabbis for Human Rights and T'ruah worked alongside local families for about two hours in an olive grove farmers had been unable to safely reach for three years. The Guardian reported detainees include T'ruah CEO Jill Jacobs and 11 other American rabbis; detainees were given water but no food and held at the Etzion military base and Beitar Illit police station.

What Comes Next

The Guardian reported the remaining volunteers face the threat of deportation. Lander, now free, continues his congressional campaign. Mamdani has called for the release of the other detained New Yorkers, while the IDF maintains that authorized harvests continue. It was not immediately clear whether any charges were filed.