IDF maps West Bank home of terrorist behind Bell Checkpoint attack that wounded Neria Leiter

Israeli forces on Wednesday briefly detained Brad Lander, a US Democratic congressional candidate, in the occupied West Bank. Lander, the nominee for New York’s 10th congressional district, stated on social media that he was released from military custody with a warning, suggesting his prominence may have influenced his release. He noted that several dozen rabbis and other volunteers who were harvesting olives alongside him remained in detention.

Lander described the detentions as an attempt to undermine Palestinian rights and characterized the actions as part of an escalating effort of state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. The Israeli foreign ministry responded to Lander's actions by calling them a calculated political stunt and stating that he had ignored guidance to coordinate with authorities.

The Israeli military maintained that the Palestinian landowner had not requested permission for the harvest and noted that coordination is required to maintain security and public order near an Israeli settlement.

Brief written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post, New Straits Times, Al-Monitor, Middle East Eye, RTE News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.