Democratic Congressional Candidate Says He Was “Detained By The IDF”

Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander, who is running in New York’s 10th Congressional District, said he was part of a group detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank,” Lander said.

“The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know,” he added.

Lander said in an interview that he was later released with a warning.

I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank.

The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know. pic.twitter.com/r7B5Q3RvjY

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) October 21, 2026

Click to expand...

NBC News shared further:

Lander, a former New York City comptroller, said he was harvesting olives for Palestinians in the West Bank along with more than 40 international volunteers, including Americans, and 28 Israelis, who were affiliated with a coalition of human rights groups. Israeli authorities told him that his actions were illegal and that the group had been “causing a disturbance of public order,” he said.

“But I assure you, all we were doing was harvesting olives,” he said. “So if by ‘disturbance of public order’ they mean the order of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, I guess maybe, but we were very peacefully harvesting olives.”

Beck Strober, a spokesperson for Protect the Harvest, one of the groups involved in the volunteer effort, told NBC News on Wednesday afternoon that all but four of those who were detained have been released. The Israeli members of the group will not be allowed to return to the West Bank for 28 days, Strober said.

Click to expand...

“Everyone in our Protect the Harvest delegation has been released. The Israelis who were with us have also received 15-30 day bans from the West Bank, which unfortunately means they will be unable to participate in the olive harvest,” Lander said.

“Thank you to everyone for the kind words and support throughout the day. For now, just feeling very grateful that our group is safe,” he added.

Watch below:

Everyone in our Protect the Harvest delegation has been released.

The Israelis who were with us have also received 15-30 day bans from the West Bank, which unfortunately means they will be unable to participate in the olive harvest.

Thank you to everyone for the kind words and… pic.twitter.com/2ROoigMxix

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) October 21, 2026

Click to expand...

NPR has more:

It was the largest mass detention of activists in the occupied West Bank in at least a decade, two Israeli lawyers who work on related cases told NPR. Rabbi Arik Ascherman, a longtime Israeli human rights proponent, called the detentions “unprecedented.”

The Israeli military said in a statement that harvesting in the area requires the farmers to submit requests to the authorities before the olive harvest season in order to coordinate “security of the area and maintain public order.” The military said Palestinians in this area did not submit a request, so soldiers and police arrived and detained those present.

“Regarding reports of the detention of a congressional candidate, we note that he was released once the matter was brought to our attention,” the Israeli military told NPR.

Click to expand...

The post Democratic Congressional Candidate Says He Was “Detained By The IDF” appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

Continue reading...

[H/T 100PercentFedUp]