US Congressional Candidate Detained During West Bank Olive Harvest

Democratic Congressional candidate Brad Lander was detained along with 90 volunteers who were assisting Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest in the West Bank. Lander and the volunteers were released after three hours. The group had arrived to accompany Palestinian farmers harvesting olives from lands whose owners have been unable to access them since October 7. After approximately two hours of harvesting, large forces from the IDF, police, and Border Police arrived and presented an order declaring the area a closed military zone for 24 hours. Organizers stated they had no prior knowledge of the order.

According to event organizers, they informed the forces that they would comply with the order and leave. However, the forces detained everyone present for identification, photographing their IDs and passports, with particular attention paid to foreign nationals in the group. All attendees were then taken to a police station, where foreign nationals were separated from the Israeli volunteers.

The IDF spokesperson stated that the harvest was uncoordinated and posed a security risk near an Israeli settlement. The IDF explained that the area required prior coordination for harvesting to ensure regional security and public order. The IDF noted that the land owner was informed about the need for coordination and provided with contact information for future harvests. The IDF also emphasized that approximately 100 coordinated harvests have taken place in the West Bank with security forces' assistance and without incident, and that the specific area in question had not submitted any coordination request from the Palestinians.