Brad Lander Says Israeli Troops Detained Him in West Bank

WHO:

amNewYork - New Jewish Narrative, a progressive Jewish organization and Protect the Harvest coalition member, said at least 33 American citizens were detained, including Brad Lander and Rabbi Jill Jacobs.

amNewYork - Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused Lander of staging a political stunt, saying, “This was not about harvesting olives. It was about harvesting headlines.”

The Guardian - The Israeli military and police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Guardian - Lander is an ally of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The Guardian - Lander supported restricting U.S. military aid to Israel and said Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks amounted to genocide.

The Guardian - The detained group included about 80 U.S., Israeli and British volunteers, Israel’s former deputy attorney general Joshua Schoffman, Jill Jacobs, chief executive of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and 11 other American rabbis affiliated with the group.

The Guardian - Lander described himself as a liberal Zionist and said Israel cannot be a true democracy while denying Palestinians their human rights and freedom.

NBC News - Brad Lander, a New York congressional candidate and former New York City comptroller, said he was detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

NBC News - Lander said rabbis and volunteers were detained with him.

NBC News - Lander was visiting the West Bank with the “Protect the Harvest” coalition, which he described as helping Palestinian farmers.

NBC News - Lander is running for Congress in New York’s 10th Congressional District, described as a deep-blue Democratic stronghold.

NBC News - Lander ousted incumbent Representative Dan Goldman in the district’s primary; the article says the primary was dominated by the candidates’ views toward Israel. Both men are Jewish.

NY Post - Brad Lander was detained by the IDF alongside a group of rabbis and volunteers.

WHAT:

amNewYork - Lander said he was detained for approximately three hours, including about an hour at a facility, and that authorities accused him of disturbing public order and entering an area prohibited to him on a tourist visa. He disputed both allegations.

amNewYork - Lander said the remaining volunteers had been released by Wednesday afternoon and were returning to their hotel. He said most American volunteers were released without charges, while Israeli participants received bans on entering the West Bank for 15 to 30 days.

amNewYork - The IDF said the group had not obtained advance coordination required to harvest near Beitar Illit; it said the landowner was given contact information to arrange a later harvest.

amNewYork - Lander said he intends to sign the Stop the Settlements Act, introduced by Representative Joaquin Castro on Oct. 1. The bill would impose sanctions on people and entities involved in expanding Israeli settlements and prohibit imports of goods produced in those settlements.

NBC News Politics - Lander told NBC News he had been released with a warning, while the rest of his group remained in detention.

The Guardian - The article reported that attacks on European diplomats and a French mayor over the weekend drew international condemnation and calls for the Israeli government to crack down on militants.

The Guardian - The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called the attack on photojournalist Heidi Levine a “despicable act of terror” and demanded prosecutions.

The Guardian - An Israeli court released four suspects in the attack on Levine and placed them under house arrest, citing insufficient evidence to keep them in custody.

The Free Press - The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet reported that 660 settler attacks in the first six months of 2026 killed six Palestinians and wounded 140.

The Free Press - The Israel Policy Forum’s March analysis found more attacks against Palestinians by Jews in the West Bank than attacks against Jews by Palestinians.

The Free Press - About 20 masked Israeli settlers attacked Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine with sticks and clubs; she suffered a broken hip, several broken vertebrae and a nearly detached finger.

The Guardian - Organizers said the olive-picking was peaceful until a large contingent of Israeli security forces arrived.

The Guardian - Lander said the group had been “asked to stop, and everyone complied,” and that there was “no friction whatsoever with settlers or with the security forces.”

The Guardian - Lander said the group’s harvest had been “peaceful and successful,” while warning that “violence unfortunately is never far away.”

The Guardian - The organizers, Protect the Harvest, said Israeli forces detained approximately 80 people; Lander was released with a warning while the other detainees were still being held.

The Guardian - Schoffman called the mass detention a “complete hallucination” and said, “We were asked to stop, and everyone complied. There was no friction whatsoever with settlers or with the security forces.”

The Guardian - Detainees were given water but no food.

The Guardian - The military said the area had been declared a closed military zone.

NBC News - Lander announced his detention in a post on X and shared a picture of himself on a bus.

NBC News - Lander said, “We were simply harvesting olives in a grove” and added, “The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know.”

Gothamist - The article describes Israeli forces detaining Lander during a West Bank olive harvest and says IDF attacks during harvest season have drawn international condemnation.

NBC News - A United Nations report from July said more than 900 Palestinians had been injured in settler attacks since the start of the year, and 76 Palestinians in the West Bank had been killed by Israeli forces or settlers or died from their injuries.

NBC News - The article reports two high-profile Israeli settler attacks, including one in which Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was injured and another targeting European diplomats. Israeli police said they arrested 10 people suspected of participating in violence against Palestinians and others.

NBC News - Lander has been more critical of Israel’s government and the war in Gaza, which he has called a “genocide.”

WHERE:

The Guardian - The attack on European diplomats took place near the West Bank village of Taybeh.

The Free Press - The assault on Levine occurred near Abu Falah.

The Guardian - The olive harvest was outside the village of Nahalin.

The Guardian - The olive harvest took place near Nahalin, outside Bethlehem, on private land belonging to a Palestinian family that had invited the volunteers.

NBC News - The detention and olive harvest took place in the West Bank.

NBC News - Lander is running in New York’s 10th Congressional District.

WHY:

amNewYork - Lander said the volunteers’ groves were land Palestinian farmers had been unable to access for three years.

The Guardian - The Guardian reported that settler militants had used extreme violence against Palestinians harvesting olives and people accompanying them in the occupied West Bank.

NBC News - Lander said the coalition’s goals were “to help protect the olive harvest — and to shed a light on the reality of the occupation.”

NBC News - Lander said the coalition brought people together from around the world to help Palestinian farmers harvest olives amid what he called “state-sanctioned settler terrorism.”

HOW:

amNewYork - Lander said soldiers ordered volunteers out of the groves, checked their passports, and took them by bus to an Israeli military facility near Bethlehem.

The Guardian - The court placed the four suspects under house arrest after releasing them.

The Free Press - Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the facts surrounding the confrontation near Abu Falah remained unclear and were under investigation.

The Guardian - Soldiers separated detainees by nationality and transported them to a nearby police station in minibuses and a larger bus.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 08:03 UTC)

New York congressional candidate Brad Lander says Israeli forces detained him and dozens of other volunteers during a peaceful olive harvest near Nahalin in the West Bank. The Protect the Harvest coalition said about 80 American, Israeli and British volunteers were detained, including rabbis and former Israeli deputy attorney general Joshua Schoffman. Lander said he was held for about three hours, accused of disturbing public order and entering a prohibited area, and released with a warning; he disputed the allegations. The military said the group lacked required coordination and that the area was a closed military zone. Lander said Palestinian farmers had been unable to reach the groves for three years. The Foreign Ministry accused him of staging a political stunt, while Lander said the group complied when asked to stop. Most American volunteers were released without charges; Israeli participants received West Bank entry bans.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 02:09 UTC)

Brad Lander, a New York congressional candidate and former city comptroller, says Israeli forces detained him during an olive harvest in the West Bank, then released him with a warning. About 80 other volunteers, including American, Israeli and British participants, remained in custody. The group was helping Palestinian farmers near Nahalin, on land belonging to a family that had invited them. Organizers said the harvest was peaceful until security forces arrived, and Lander said everyone complied when told to stop. Israeli forces said the area had been declared a closed military zone. The detainees included former Israeli deputy attorney general Joshua Schoffman and several American rabbis; organizers said they received water but no food. Lander is running for Congress in New York’s 10th District and has called Israel’s campaign in Gaza genocide. He said the effort aimed to support farmers and draw attention to the occupation.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 00:07 UTC)

New York congressional candidate Brad Lander says Israeli forces detained him while he was harvesting olives with volunteers in the West Bank. The group, part of the Protect the Harvest coalition, was working on private Palestinian land near Nahalin, outside Bethlehem, to help farmers and draw attention to the occupation. Organizers say about 80 American, Israeli and British volunteers were detained, including rabbis and Israel’s former deputy attorney general. Lander was released with a warning, while the others remained in custody; detainees were given water but no food. The military said the area had been declared a closed military zone. Lander said the group stopped when asked and there was no friction with settlers or security forces. He has called Israel’s campaign in Gaza genocide and backed restricting U.S. military aid. Lander is challenging Representative Dan Goldman in New York’s 10th Congressional District after defeating him in the Democratic primary.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 17:16 UTC)

New York congressional candidate Brad Lander says Israeli forces detained him during a peaceful olive harvest in the occupied West Bank. The former city comptroller was with the Protect the Harvest coalition near Nahalin, outside Bethlehem, helping Palestinian farmers on land owned by a family that invited the volunteers. Organizers said about 80 people, including American, Israeli and British volunteers and several rabbis, were detained after security forces arrived. Lander said everyone complied when told to stop and there was no friction with settlers or security forces. He was released with a warning, while the other detainees remained in custody; the military said the area was a closed military zone. The group was given water but no food, and detainees were separated by nationality and taken to a police station. Lander, who has criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza, said the effort aimed to protect the harvest and highlight the occupation.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 16:10 UTC)

New York congressional candidate Brad Lander says Israeli forces detained him during an olive harvest in the West Bank, near Bethlehem. He was with the Protect the Harvest coalition, which said about 80 volunteers were detained while helping Palestinian farmers on land near Nahalin. The group included American, Israeli and British volunteers, several rabbis, and Israel’s former deputy attorney general. Soldiers separated detainees by nationality and took them by bus to a nearby police station. Lander was released with a warning, while the others remained in custody; detainees were given water but no food. The Israeli military said the area had been declared a closed military zone. Lander said the volunteers had simply been harvesting olives and aimed to support farmers and draw attention to the occupation. He is running for Congress in New York’s 10th District after defeating Representative Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 13:13 UTC)

New York congressional candidate Brad Lander says Israeli forces detained him in the West Bank while he was harvesting olives with a group of rabbis and volunteers. Lander said the group was there to help protect Palestinian farmers and draw attention to the occupation, and he announced his detention on X with a photo from a bus. He is running in New York’s 10th Congressional District after defeating Representative Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary.