US Congressional Candidate Among 80 Detained by IDF During Olive Harvest

Approximately 80 American volunteers and activists, including a Democratic congressional candidate, were detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) near Bethlehem on Wednesday. The IDF declared the area, in the village of Nahhalin, a closed military zone for 24 hours. The group, accompanied by Palestinian farmers, was participating in the olive harvest.

Among those detained was Brad Lander, a former New York City Comptroller and a Democratic candidate for Congress, who is also an ally of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Lander, who is Jewish-American, was later released with a warning. According to the organization "Rabbis for Human Rights," the volunteers were assisting Palestinians who had been unable to access their lands since October 7th.

The volunteers arrived early Wednesday morning and had been working in the fields for about two hours when IDF forces arrived and presented the closed military zone order. "Rabbis for Human Rights" stated that there was no prior notification of the order. The organization also claimed that while the volunteers indicated they would comply, the IDF detained everyone for identification, collecting their IDs and passports.

The area is adjacent to the settlement of Beitar Illit, and coordination is typically required for access. The organization noted that this is not an unusual occurrence and that several harvest requests in the vicinity have recently been approved. Lander posted a photo on social media platform X from the bus with other activists and IDF forces, stating, "I was detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis and activists. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nahhalin in the West Bank. The occupation is a crime under international law. Olive harvesting is not a crime under any law I know."