Israeli forces detain and then release US congressional candidate at West Bank harvest
Israeli forces detained U.S. Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander on Wednesday as he helped Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the occupied West Bank , releasing him hours later while dozens of other volunteers, including a group of American rabbis, remained in custody. The incident was the latest in an annual olive harvest that has been marked by violence between Israeli settlers…
U.S. Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was detained by Israeli forces on Wednesday while participating in the annual olive harvest in the occupied West Bank. Lander was helping Palestinian farmers gather their crops when he was taken into custody. He was later released several hours later, while other volunteers remained incarcerated.
This incident is the latest in a series of confrontations between Israeli settlers and Palestinian villagers during the olive harvest. The Israeli military stated that the farmers and volunteers had not obtained prior permission for the harvest and were detained due to the potential security risk of an uncoordinated harvest near an Israeli community.
The military also claimed that the presence of dozens of activists was deemed an act intended solely to provoke, which disrupts the harvesting process. Lander, who is running in the November 3 elections to represent a heavily Democratic New York City district in the U.S. House of Representatives, expressed his view on social media, calling the occupation a crime under international law and criticizing the harvesting process.
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