Brad Lander, U.S. House Hopeful, Held by Israeli Forces in West Bank
WHO:
ABC News - Brad Lander, a Jewish Democrat and nominee for New York City’s 10th Congressional District, is a former New York City comptroller and council member.
Al Jazeera - Lander is a former New York City mayoral candidate and an ally of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
ABC News - Lander joined rabbis and other volunteers with Protect the Harvest, a nonprofit that helps Palestinian farmers harvest olives.
Al Jazeera - Rabbis for Human Rights said approximately 80 volunteers were detained; the group included American, Israeli, Palestinian, British, and Canadian volunteers.
ABC News - Anton Goodman, acting executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights, said the volunteers had been harvesting peacefully and were removed from land they were working.
Al Jazeera - Becca Strober, a Protect the Harvest Coalition representative, said the group was picking olives at a Palestinian family’s invitation and described the day as peaceful.
ABC News - The IDF, Israeli police, Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the U.S. State Department, and Mamdani issued statements or comments about the detentions.
ABC News - Lander won the Democratic primary against U.S. Representative Dan Goldman and faces Republican nominee Jennifer Moore in the general election.
WHAT:
ABC News - Israeli forces detained Lander and volunteers while they were harvesting olives; Lander was released with a warning, while he said several dozen others remained detained.
Al Jazeera - The group was detained first in the field and later taken to a police station. Lander said he had not been told whether the volunteers were under arrest.
ABC News - The IDF said Lander was released after it learned of the matter and described the arrival of dozens of activists as intended to provoke and undermine harvesting.
Al Jazeera - Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the visit a “calculated political provocation” and said, “This was not about harvesting olives. It was about harvesting headlines.”
ABC News - Lander said the Foreign Ministry’s account contained “multiple lies” and said the U.S. Embassy had not told his group to coordinate with Israeli authorities.
Al Jazeera - Lander said the detentions undermined Palestinians’ ability to harvest groves, travel on roads, and live in their homes; he called them part of “escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored, ethnic cleansing.”
ABC News - The State Department said it was tracking reports of detained Americans and works to obtain access to medical care, proper treatment, and consular visits.
Al Jazeera - Israeli police said they had arrested 10 people in connection with recent attacks on Palestinians and observers during the olive harvest.
WHERE:
ABC News - The volunteers were harvesting in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank.
Al Jazeera - Rabbis for Human Rights placed the detention near Nahalin, outside Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
WHEN:
ABC News - Lander said the group harvested olives without incident on Monday and Tuesday and was detained during harvesting Wednesday.
ABC News - Lander won the Democratic primary in June.
Al Jazeera - Lander is running in the United States’ November 3 midterm elections.
Al Jazeera - The Palestinian family reportedly had been unable to access its land since October 7, 2023.
Al Jazeera - An American Washington Post photojournalist was beaten by Israeli settlers on Friday; European diplomats and a French mayor were attacked the following day.
WHY:
ABC News - The volunteers said they came to accompany Palestinian farmers to land they had been unable to reach; Goodman said they had harvested quietly for two hours before forces arrived.
Al Jazeera - Strober said violence in the area had made it too dangerous for the Palestinian family to return to its land.
ABC News - Israel’s Foreign Ministry alleged Lander’s team had been told in advance that coordination with relevant authorities was required.
HOW:
Al Jazeera - Strober said soldiers checked volunteers’ IDs, declared the area a closed military zone, and detained the group.
ABC News - Lander said the group had not passed a checkpoint and had received no notice that the location was a security area or closed military zone.
Al Jazeera - Goodman said volunteers who were neither Israeli nor Palestinian citizens were expected to be transferred to an Israeli military base.
(UPDATED October 22, 2026 16:22 UTC)
Brad Lander, a Jewish Democrat running for New York’s 10th Congressional District, was detained by Israeli forces while helping Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the occupied West Bank. He was released with a warning, but said several dozen other volunteers remained in custody. The group, which included rabbis and volunteers from several countries, was working near Nahalin at a Palestinian family’s invitation. Organizers said soldiers checked IDs, declared the area a closed military zone and detained them; Lander said they had received no such notice. Volunteers said they came because violence had kept the family from reaching its land. Israel’s military called the activists’ arrival provocative, while the Foreign Ministry described the visit as a political stunt. Lander rejected its account and said the detentions undermined Palestinians’ ability to harvest. The U.S. State Department said it was tracking reports of detained Americans and seeking consular access and proper treatment.