NY-10 Candidate Brad Lander Freed After IDF Detained Him During West Bank Olive Harvest

Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller and Democratic nominee for the NY-10 congressional seat, was detained by Israeli forces on Wednesday while joining Palestinian farmers, rabbis, and activists for an olive harvest in the occupied West Bank — which doubled as a protest against restrictions on Palestinian farmers. Israeli police arrived and detained Lander and dozens of participants, saying they needed special permission to be in the area. Lander was released after roughly three hours, describing it as a 'warning,' and suggested his public profile as a US elected official contributed to his swift release. He said the remaining detainees, including several dozen rabbis, were also eventually freed after Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly demanded their release. Lander disputed the Israeli Foreign Ministry's characterisation of the gathering as taking place in a 'restricted security area,' saying no special coordination is legally required. The Foreign Ministry called his participation a 'calculated political provocation.' Lander said he would continue advocating for sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank.