New York congressional candidate Brad Lander shares his detention by Israeli forces while volunteering for olive harvesting in the West Bank.
Brad Lander, a candidate for New York's 10th Congressional District, faced detention by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while he was volunteering in the West Bank. Lander reported that he was taken into custody during an olive harvest aimed at supporting Palestinian farmers.
Details of the Incident
While participating in this harvest, Lander was part of a diverse team comprising over 40 international volunteers, which included Americans and 28 Israelis, all united by their ties to various human rights organizations. During his detention, Israeli authorities informed Lander that their group's activities were illegal, claiming they were creating a 'disturbance of public order.'
Lander expressed his disbelief, stating, "All we were doing was harvesting olives. If by 'disturbance of public order' they mean the order of the Israeli occupation, I guess maybe, but we were very peacefully harvesting olives."
Release and Aftermath
Following approximately two hours of olive harvesting, Lander and the group noticed what he believed was an Israeli security vehicle observing them. Soon after, IDF soldiers and police requested to see their passports, which led to their detention. Ultimately, they were transported to a military facility in the West Bank.
A spokesperson from Protect the Harvest, the organization coordinating the volunteer effort, stated that most of those detained were released, but four Israeli volunteers received a 28-day ban from re-entering the West Bank, significantly impacting their ability to aid Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest.
IDF’s Justification
The IDF later released a statement explaining that the detentions were necessary due to security risks involved with uncoordinated harvesting activities near Israeli communities. They stressed that proper requests must be submitted ahead of the harvesting season to maintain security and public order in the area.
Lander noted that he believed his detention ended primarily due to his public profile, as officials repeatedly referred to him as 'congressman' despite his explanation that he was a primary candidate, not an elected official.
Political Context
His campaign for the congressional seat has been closely tied to his views on Israel and Palestine. In a Democratic primary race against incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman, Lander has been critical of Israeli actions, labeling the violence in Gaza as
