US Congressional Candidate Among Dozens Arrested During West Bank Olive Harvest
Translated & summarized from Zman Yisrael by baba
Dozens of international and Israeli volunteers, including US congressional candidate Brad Lander, were arrested by Israeli forces during an olive harvest in the West Bank. The volunteers were assisting Palestinian farmers near Beitar Illit, whose groves have been inaccessible since October 7th. Police declared the area a closed military zone and arrested the group for "disturbing public order." Lander was released after an hour, while others were detained longer and issued entry bans to the West Bank.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Dozens of volunteers, including US congressional candidate Brad Lander, were arrested during a West Bank olive harvest.
- The arrests occurred near Nahalin, West Bank, as volunteers aided Palestinian farmers.
- Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone, citing a police drone alert.
- The volunteers were charged with disturbing public order and issued entry bans to the West Bank.
- Brad Lander stated the occupation is a crime and olive harvesting is not.
- The author, Dr. Dan Segir, was among the arrested Israelis.
Dozens of international and Israeli volunteers, including a US congressional candidate, were arrested by Israeli forces on Wednesday while participating in an olive harvest in the West Bank. The volunteers, part of the "Rabbis for Human Rights" organization, were assisting Palestinian families from the village of Nahalin, near the settlement of Beitar Illit, whose olive groves have been inaccessible since October 7th. The operation was reportedly initiated by police to prevent the humanitarian activity, despite the absence of settlers and the fact that the area is not a closed military zone.
The group, comprising around 50 volunteers from the US and Canada and 30 Israelis, included progressive rabbis and religious figures. Their presence was intended as a protective measure following a controversial ruling by Rabbi Dov Lior, which allegedly permits Jews to seize olives from Palestinian farmers. The volunteers worked for approximately two hours before a joint force of the IDF and Israeli police, alerted by a police drone, arrived and declared the area a closed military zone, ordering the harvest to cease.
Despite initial expectations that the volunteers would be dispersed, a decision was made, reportedly at senior police levels, to arrest all participants on charges of "disturbing public order." They were taken to the Etzion police station for questioning. Among those arrested was Brad Lander, a leading Democratic candidate for the US Congress from New York. The author, Dr. Dan Segir, a security researcher, warned police that arresting Lander would cause significant international backlash and damage Israel's image, but his concerns were dismissed.
Lander was released after about an hour, while the other international and Israeli detainees, including Segir, were released in the evening after being interrogated and required to sign documents barring them from the West Bank for 30 days, with a fine for violations. Lander later posted on social media stating, "The occupation is a crime under international law. Olive harvesting is not a crime under any law I know."
Segir, who identifies as secular, reflected on the event, noting that while the police generally treated them respectfully, the arrests felt politically motivated. He expressed hope for a future Minister of Police who could restore the force's reputation, suggesting Yoav Segalovitz from the Ra'am party. The article also includes a brief mention of a former Deputy Attorney General, Yehoshua Shofman, among the Israeli detainees.
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