Israeli forces detained Brad Lander, a Democratic candidate for Congress from New York, as he took part in a West Bank olive harvest with Palestinian farmers who have faced increasing threats from radical Jewish settlers.Brad Lander said Israeli forces detained him and other volunteers as they supported Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in the West Bank (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)Lander said in a post on X that he had been detained by the Israel Defense Forces with a group of rabbis and other volunteers. In a video posted on X by the Haaretz newspaper, Lander said he and dozens of activists were being taken away by the military on a bus. āWeāll see what happens,ā he said. āWe came because we believe Palestinians have a right to harvest that olive field.āAnother activist who appears in the post by Haaretz said the bus was headed to a police station.Landerās representatives didnāt immediately comment on the episode.
Spokespeople for the Israeli military and police also had no immediate comment.The fall olive harvest is often a flashpoint between Palestinians and Israeli settlers who have been expanding their hold on occupied land with the encouragement of far-rightists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuās coalition government. The Palestinians and their supporters accuse the settlers of a campaign of violence and intimidation.
Israeli authorities have vowed to crack down on settler attacks but have frequently taken action against Palestinians and activists they accuse of fomenting such confrontations. Lander has been critical of Israelās actions against the Palestinians, including in the Gaza war, which he has condemned as a āgenocide.ā Israel rejects that term, saying its fight is with Islamist radicals sworn to its destruction.
Israelās West Bank policy has been under increased foreign scrutiny after an American photojournalist and a group of European diplomats were attacked by settlers over the weekend. Police said it took 10 suspected assailants into custody.