Lander says dozens remain in Israeli custody after being detained while helping Palestinian farmers harvest olives.
Published On 21 Oct 2026
United States Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander says he has been released from Israeli military custody with a warning after being detained alongside dozens of volunteers helping Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
But several dozen others, including rabbis and international volunteers, remain in detention, according to Lander, who called them to be released immediately.
“I’ve been released from IDF custody with a ‘warning,’ apparently because of my public profile,” Lander wrote on X. “I told them I wasn’t even a congressmember yet, just a nominee.”
Lander, a former New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate, was among approximately 80 volunteers detained by Israeli soldiers and police near the village of Nahalin, outside Bethlehem, according to the Israeli organisation Rabbis for Human Rights.
The group, which included American, Israeli, Palestinian, British and Canadian volunteers, had been accompanying Palestinian farmers for about two hours when Israeli forces arrived and informed them that they were in a closed military zone.
The volunteers were then taken to a police station, according to Rabbis for Human Rights.
The Israeli government has not responded to a request for comment.