US congressional candidate detained in West Bank
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The gist
Democratic nominee Brad Lander was detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank and released with a warning.
The detention lands two weeks before US midterms; dozens of others remain held.
Background
Brad Lander is the Democratic nominee for New York's 10th congressional district, a former New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate, and a Jewish American who has criticized Israel's war in Gaza. He ousted incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in a primary race dominated by the candidates' views toward Israel. Lander was touring the West Bank with Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli organization accompanying Palestinian farmers amid clashes with Israeli settlers, when he was detained.
How it unfolded
- Oct 19, 2026Lander posted on X that he was visiting the West Bank with the "Protect the Harvest" coalition to help Palestinian farmers harvest olives.
- Oct 21, 2026Lander was detained by Israeli forces while harvesting olives with Palestinian farmers near Nehalim, outside Bethlehem, along with about 80-90 volunteers, according to rights groups.
- Oct 21, 2026Rabbis for Human Rights said Israeli forces arrived about two hours after the harvest began and told volunteers the area was a closed military zone; the volunteers were taken to a police station.
- Oct 21, 2026Lander was released from Israeli military custody with a "warning"; several dozen others, including rabbis and international volunteers, remained in detention, according to Lander.
- Nov 3, 2026The US midterm elections, in which Lander is the Democratic nominee for New York's 10th congressional district, are scheduled.
Who’s saying what
- Party
- Lander said the group was simply harvesting olives, that the occupation is a crime under international law, and that harvesting olives is not a crime under any law he knows.
- Official
- Israeli military and police forces told the volunteers the area was a closed military zone.
- Support
- Rabbis for Human Rights said the group could not have known in advance that the area was a closed military zone.
- Expert
- Rabbi Jill Jacobs of T'ruah said the group volunteered to leave but was put on buses and taken to a police station, and that picking olives with Palestinian farmers was apparently disturbing for some.
Still unverified
The number detained is given as 90 by American and Israeli rights groups and Reuters, and as approximately 80 by Rabbis for Human Rights and Modern Diplomacy. The Israeli government and the IDF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.