Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was detained by the Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday while participating in an olive harvest in the West Bank alongside a group of rabbis and volunteers. According to Rabbis for Human Rights, the group was held after being told they were in a closed military zone, despite having no prior knowledge of such a designation. Lander, running for New York’s 10th Congressional District, stated the group was “simply harvesting olives” and criticized the occupation as a crime under international law. The incident occurred near Nehalim, close to Bethlehem, approximately two hours after the harvest began. Among the 90 detainees are 33 US citizens, as well as British and Canadian nationals. Israeli police and military have not yet issued a comment, and the reason for the detention remains unclear, with those held reporting they were not formally accused of any wrongdoing.
Lander, a former New York City comptroller, had joined the “Protect the Harvest” coalition, which aims to support Palestinian farmers facing what he described as “state-sanctioned settler terrorism.” The detention follows two recent attacks on Palestinians, including one injuring a Washington Post photojournalist and another targeting European diplomats, leading to 10 arrests by Israeli police earlier this week. A United Nations report from July indicated over 900 Palestinians have been injured in settler attacks since the start of the year, with 76 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers. Lander previously ousted incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th district primary, campaigning on a platform more critical of Israel’s government and its conduct of the war in Gaza, which he has labeled a “genocide.”
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of the American rights organization T’ruah and among those detained, stated the group volunteered to leave but was instead transported to a police station. She noted the group was picking olives “very peacefully” and that the act of doing so with Palestinian farmers appeared to be the source of concern for Israeli forces. The detainees are currently being held either inside the police station or on buses outside, awaiting further information regarding their status.
Our reading is that this incident, while involving a US congressional candidate, appears to be a continuation of escalating tensions in the West Bank, as evidenced by recent attacks on both Palestinians and diplomats. The lack of immediate comment from Israeli authorities suggests a potentially deliberate ambiguity regarding the justification for the detention, while the detainment of a large group including US citizens highlights the risk of these tensions escalating further. The stated reason for the group’s concern, simply harvesting olives, seems to be at odds with the scale of the response, suggesting a broader intent to disrupt Palestinian agricultural activity.
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