Israeli forces arrested US congressional candidate Brad Lander for helping Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, before releasing him with a "warning".
In a post on X, Lander said: “I’ve been released from [Israeli military] custody with a 'warning,' apparently because of my public profile”.
Lander added that several dozen rabbis and other people harvesting olives with him were still in detention, calling for their immediate release.
“To be clear: Palestinians face far worse consequences every day. These detentions by the [Israeli military] are one more attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to harvest their olive groves, travel on their roads, and live in their homes. Yet one more element of escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored ethnic cleansing,” he said.
Lander is the Democratic Party nominee for New York's 10th congressional district, and describes himself as a liberal Zionist Jew, although he is an outspoken critic of the Israeli government.
I’ve been released from IDF custody with a “warning,” apparently because of my public profile (I told them I wasn’t even a congressmember yet, just a nominee). But several dozen rabbis & participants harvesting olives with me are still in detention. For harvesting olives. They should all be released immediately. To be clear: Palestinians face far worse consequences every day. These detentions by the IDF are one more attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to harvest their olive groves, travel on their roads, and live in their homes. Yet one more element of escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. We’ll update on their status as soon as we hear.
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) October 21, 2026