Four Italian activists held during West Bank olive harvest amidst rising settler violence

On Wednesday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) detained a U.S. congressional nominee, Brad Lander, and around 90 foreign volunteers, including senior members of Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR), while they attempted to assist Palestinians in harvesting olives in the West Bank. This complex situation arose amidst recent reports of Jewish extremists harassing Palestinians and preventing them from completing their harvests.

RHR claimed they had sent letters requesting coordination with the IDF Chief's office, the IDF Central Commander, the IDF Head of COGAT, the Samaria Brigade Commander, and the Etzion Brigade Commander. However, the IDF initially denied receiving these letters, stating that the area was a prohibited zone. The letter requesting coordination was finally provided by the Post, which showed it was sent to the IDF on August 25, nearly two months before the visit.

IDF sources revealed they were unaware of this letter and had received many letters, some of which they did not respond to promptly. However, if RHR did send the letter and the IDF simply missed it due to being overwhelmed with paperwork, this would undermine one of the IDF's main justifications for detaining the activists.

RHR argued that the area they visited was in Palestinian territories and thus did not require coordination with the IDF. The IDF partially conceded, stating that 90% of the area did not require coordination, but 10% did. The IDF also noted that a large number of visitors and the close proximity to a Jewish village with provocative members complicated the assessment of the situation.

The detained activists claimed that their presence was meant to protect them from provocateurs and that they were not forced to evacuate or detained. However, IDF sources stated that the soldiers on the ground were unaware of Lander's presence and that the group was perceived as potential provocateurs due to the lack of coordination.

Despite the IDF's unfavorable narrative, the broader olive harvesting situation is seen as favorable, with 22,500 tons of olives and 5,600 tons of olive oil harvested or packaged, valued at around NIS 225 million. Over 100 olive harvest trips were coordinated with the IDF without issues, and one quarter of the area had already been harvested.

However, RHR emphasizes that a 63% increase in anti-Palestinian Jewish crimes occurred in the first half of 2026, and the IDF did not allow harvesting in the specific area in question.