Israeli forces detained Brad Lander, the Mamdani-backed Democratic nominee for a New York House seat, along with dozens of rabbis and volunteers who had gone to help Palestinian farmers pick olives in the West Bank.
Story Highlights
- Lander, a former New York City comptroller, is the Democratic nominee in New York’s 10th Congressional District after beating Rep. Dan Goldman with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s backing.
- He was with Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli rights group, helping Palestinian farmers reach olive groves near the village of Nahalin, outside Bethlehem.
- Israeli troops declared the area a closed military zone, and nearly 90 people were detained, according to the group.
- The Israeli military says the farmers had not asked ahead of time for permission to harvest there. Lander says he was held about three hours and let go with a warning, and he says he believes his public profile is why he was let go. Several dozen others were still being held.
Who Brad Lander Is
Lander served as New York City comptroller, the city’s chief financial watchdog. He is running for the U.S. House in New York’s 10th District, a heavily Democratic seat. He won the Democratic primary in an upset over Rep. Dan Goldman, with the backing of Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist mayor of New York City. Lander was once a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, but he left the group in 2023 after some of its members held a rally the day after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
Lander, who is Jewish, traveled to the West Bank with Rabbis for Human Rights. The West Bank is the land between Israel and Jordan that Israel has held since 1967, where Palestinians live alongside Israeli settlements.
What Happened in the Olive Grove
On the morning of Wednesday, October 21, the group joined Palestinian families harvesting olives on land the farmers had not been able to reach in three years, said Anton Goodman, the group’s acting executive director. After about two hours of work, Israeli soldiers, police and Border Police arrived with an order making the area a closed military zone for 24 hours. A closed military zone is an area the army orders off-limits to civilians for a set time.
The group says it agreed to leave. Instead, authorities held those present, photographed their passports and ID cards, and took them to a police station for questioning. Foreign visitors were separated from the Israeli volunteers. “No one could have known about this order in advance,” Goodman said.
Lander posted on X while he was held: “I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers.” He added, “Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know.”
What the Israeli Military Says
The Israel Defense Forces said farmers in that area must file a request ahead of time so the army can arrange security and keep public order during the harvest. The military said the Palestinians there had not filed that request, so soldiers and police detained the people present. About Lander, the military said, “we note that he was released once the matter was brought to our attention.”
Lander said he was held for about three hours on Wednesday and released with a warning. He said officials told him the group’s actions were “unlawful and inappropriate,” that the group had caused a public disruption, and that people had entered areas they should not have. He was not charged. He said he believed he was let go because of his public profile. Several dozen others were still being held at the time of the latest reports Wednesday.
Why the Olive Harvest Is Tense
The fall olive harvest is a yearly flashpoint in the West Bank. Olives are an important source of income for many Palestinian families, and some groves sit near Israeli settlements. The United Nations humanitarian office counted 150 olive-harvest attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians between Oct. 1 and Nov. 3, 2025. The Israeli military says it requires farmers in places like Nahalin to coordinate their harvest in advance for security reasons.
A Political Test Back Home
Lander is heavily favored to win his seat in November, given how Democratic the district is. His trip, and Mamdani’s support for him, put Israel at the center of his campaign in the final weeks before Election Day. Supporters see a candidate standing with farmers. Critics see a nominee for federal office stepping into a foreign security zone rather than focusing on the voters he wants to represent. Either way, voters in New York’s 10th District will weigh the trip when they cast their ballots.
Sources:
npr.org, nytimes.com, jpost.com, bloomberg.com, nbcnews.com, miamiherald.com, yahoo.com
