Brad Lander, a Democratic candidate for Congress in New York, said Wednesday that Israeli soldiers detained him in the West Bank while he was helping Palestinian farmers pick olives near the settlement of Nehalim. The former New York City comptroller, who is running in the city's 10th Congressional District, described the incident in a post on X, asserting that his actions were lawful.
“The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know,” Lander wrote, directly challenging the Israeli military's justification for the detention.
Lander had traveled to the region as part of the “Protect the Harvest” coalition, an initiative he said aims to bring international volunteers to support Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season. In an earlier post on Monday, he detailed his participation in the effort, which has become a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with settlers and security forces frequently clashing with farmers and activists.
The following day, Lander shared a video of his conversation with Amira Musallam, a representative from the advocacy group Unarmed Civilian Protection in Palestine. In the video, Musallam described an alleged attack by Israeli settlers on a house near the olive grove where the group had been working. The incident underscores the volatile environment that international volunteers and Palestinian farmers face, as political dynamics in Israel continue to influence the region's security situation.
Lander's detention comes amid heightened tensions in the West Bank, where Israeli military operations and settler violence have drawn international scrutiny. The incident also highlights the complex political landscape for U.S. politicians engaging with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly as some U.S. figures are cautious about taking sides in Israeli elections.
Lander, who defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary, is now facing Republican Jennifer Moore in the general election. His campaign has sought to position him as a progressive voice on foreign policy, and his detention is likely to resonate with voters who are critical of Israeli policies in the occupied territories.
The IDF has not yet issued a public statement about the detention. However, incidents involving foreign nationals in the West Bank often draw attention to the legal and humanitarian issues surrounding the occupation. Lander's case may also prompt questions about the treatment of U.S. citizens abroad, a topic that has been a point of diplomatic tension in other contexts.
As the story develops, it remains to be seen whether Lander's detention will become a campaign issue or influence broader discussions about U.S. policy toward Israel and Palestine. For now, his account adds a personal dimension to the ongoing debate over the legality and morality of the occupation, which international bodies have repeatedly condemned.
