Brad Lander, the Democratic congressional nominee in New York’s 10th District, said he was detained by Israeli forces on Oct. 21 while volunteering in an olive harvest in the occupied West Bank and was later released with a warning.
Lander said he was among international volunteers helping Palestinian farmers near Nahalin, south of Bethlehem, when Israeli soldiers and police arrived and detained the group, according to Reuters and NBC News reporting of his statements and rights-group accounts.
Reuters reported that Israeli police said 72 people were released and that four foreign nationals would face a deportation hearing; the report said Lander was freed after about three hours and that others were held longer. The Israeli foreign ministry told Reuters it accused Lander of “looking for a confrontation.”
NBC News said the IDF described the harvest as an “uncoordinated harvest” near an Israeli community and that coordination with authorities was required in that area. Lander told NBC he and the volunteers were peacefully harvesting olives and that he believed he was released due to his public profile.
The volunteers included U.S. rabbis and members of rights groups who described the activity as “protective presence” for farmers who face settler attacks, Reuters reported. Lander told reporters from Beit Jala that “the occupation is a crime under international law” and that harvesting olives “isn’t a crime under any law I know,” words Reuters quoted from his call with reporters.
Rights groups Rabbis for Human Rights and T’ruah said the group had been working in the grove when forces arrived about two hours after they began harvesting, according to Reuters, and that participants offered to leave but were detained and taken to a police station.
The incident comes amid wider tensions in the West Bank after recent settler violence and amid Lander’s campaign, in which he has been critical of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war, reporting shows. Lander is running in the Nov. 3 midterm election for New York’s 10th District and is a former New York City comptroller.
Readers who followed other recent detentions and protests connected to U.S. criticism of Israel may find further context in reporting on similar episodes, including local coverage of demonstrators and arrests at international forums and U.S. protest actions.
Internal coverage on related detentions and high-profile protest arrests on this site includes Caleb Hearon detained and Susan Sarandon arrested.
Sources
- Reuters — reported Lander’s detention in Nahalin, that he was released after about three hours, and that police said 72 people were released and four foreign nationals face deportation hearings.
- NBC News — reported IDF statement calling the harvest “uncoordinated,” Lander’s account of being released with a warning, and details about volunteers and rabbis detained while harvesting olives.
