Washington DC congressional candidate detained briefly by Israeli forces in West Bank

Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander, who is based in Washington DC, was among about 80 American and Israeli rabbis and activists detained by Israeli forces while assisting Palestinian olive harvesters in the West Bank, according to reports from multiple outlets including WMUK and KZYX.

The group was helping Palestinians harvest olives near a settlement in the occupied West Bank when Israeli security forces intervened. Lander was released from military custody with a warning, but several dozen others remained detained, marking the largest mass detention of activists in the area in at least a decade, Israeli lawyers told NPR.

The Israeli military stated that the olive harvest requires farmers to submit requests to authorities for security coordination, which had not been done by the Palestinians in this case. The military said it detained those present to maintain public order.

Lander criticized the Israeli military's actions, saying the group was on private Palestinian land and that there is no obligation to coordinate with the Israeli military for harvesting. He described the military's intervention as making it impossible for Palestinian farmers to harvest their olive trees.

This incident occurred amid a rise in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers in the West Bank. Rabbis from U.S. and Israeli human rights groups were part of the detained activists, highlighting ongoing tensions in the region.