US congressional nominee Brad Lander detained by Israeli forces at West Bank olive harvest
In short
Brad Lander, a Democratic nominee for Congress in New York's 10th District, said he was detained by the Israel Defense Forces while harvesting olives in the West Bank. He told NBC News he was released with a warning; the IDF said the harvest was uncoordinated and near an Israeli community. Reports differ on how many volunteers were held and when they were freed.
Read the full story 2 min read
Brad Lander, the Democratic nominee in New York's 10th Congressional District, said on Wednesday that he was detained by the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank while taking part in an olive harvest. "I've been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers," he posted on X. "We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank." [ 2 , 6 , 8 ]
Lander told NBC News he was later released with a warning. He said Israeli authorities told him his actions were illegal and that the group had been "causing a disturbance of public order." He said he was harvesting olives for Palestinians with more than 40 international volunteers, including Americans, and 28 Israelis, affiliated with a coalition of human rights groups. The New York Times summary said he was released after about three hours but that other volunteers were still in custody. [ 3 , 7 ]
The IDF said in a statement that soldiers, border police and other officers detained people harvesting olives "due to the security risk posed by conducting an uncoordinated harvest near an Israeli community." It said harvesting in the area requires a request to be submitted to the relevant authorities before the start of the season. The NY Post reported that authorities designated the area as a military zone. [ 2 , 3 ]
Accounts of the numbers differ. The NY Post said Rabbis for Human Rights corroborated Lander's claim and said 90 other volunteers were also held while harvesting olives in Nahalin, outside Bethlehem. NPR reported that about 80 American and Israeli rabbis and activists were detained with him. Beck Strober, a spokesperson for Protect the Harvest, told NBC News that all but four of those detained had been released and that the Israeli members of the group would not be allowed to return to the West Bank for 28 days. Lander later said on X that everyone in the delegation had been released. An NBC News video summary published later said the rest of the group remained in detention. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 14 ]
Lander is a former New York City comptroller who is running in the Nov. 3 election. He beat Rep. Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary and is running against Republican Jennifer Moore. The NY Post described him as an outspoken critic of Israel, and Fox News described him as backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Hill reported that on Monday Lander said he was in the West Bank with the Protect the Harvest coalition. Bloomberg described the farmers he joined as having faced increasing threats from radical Jewish settlers. [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
The Hill noted that the incident came days after The Washington Post said one of its photojournalists, Heidi Levine, was attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel condemns violence against anyone, and that those responsible would be held accountable. [ 8 ]
Why it matters
The detention of a US congressional nominee drew coverage from many major US outlets, some of which tied it to growing criticism of settler violence in the West Bank. The documents give no information on any official US or Israeli response beyond the IDF statement.
Key facts
- Lander said on X on Wednesday that he was detained by the IDF with a group of rabbis and volunteers while harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank. [ 2 , 6 , 8 ]
- Lander told NBC News he was later released with a warning. [ 3 , 14 ]
- The IDF said people were detained due to the security risk posed by an uncoordinated harvest near an Israeli community, and that harvesting in the area requires a request to authorities in advance. [ 3 ]
- Protect the Harvest spokesperson Beck Strober said all but four of those detained had been released and that the Israeli members of the group cannot return to the West Bank for 28 days. [ 3 ]
- Lander is running in New York's 10th Congressional District in the Nov. 3 election and defeated Rep. Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary. [ 2 , 6 , 8 , 13 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- How many people were detained. The NY Post, citing Rabbis for Human Rights, reported 90 other volunteers; NPR reported about 80 Americans and Israelis in total; NBC cited more than 40 international volunteers and 28 Israelis.
- Whether the rest of the group was still held after Lander's release. The NYT summary and a later NBC video summary said other volunteers remained in custody; NBC's earlier article cited Protect the Harvest saying all but four were released, and Lander later said on X that the whole delegation had been released.
- Which group Lander was with and where exactly the harvest took place. Fox News named the group Rabbis for Peace, while the NY Post cited Rabbis for Human Rights and The Hill cited the Protect the Harvest coalition; the place is given as Nehalim in Lander's post and Nahalin, outside Bethlehem, in the NY Post.
- Why Lander was released. Lander told NBC News he was apparently released because of his public profile; no document gives an official reason.
- Rabbis for Human Rights corroborated Lander's account of the detention. Reported by a single source so far
- The IDF said it detained people harvesting olives due to the security risk of an uncoordinated harvest near an Israeli community. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Reuters published a report that Lander had been detained by Israeli authorities in the West Bank. [ 1 ]
- NBC News reported Lander's account that he was detained and later released with a warning. [ 3 ]
- The New York Times reported that Lander said he was released after about three hours while other volunteers were still in custody. [ 7 ]
- The Seattle Times reported that Israeli forces detained and then released Lander. [ 12 ]
- NBC News video coverage said the rest of Lander's group remained in detention. [ 14 ]