NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) — Israeli forces detained Brad Lander, a Democratic candidate for Congress from New York, as he took part in a West Bank olive harvest with Palestinian farmers who have faced increasing threats from radical Jewish settlers.<\/p>\n
Lander said in a post on X<\/a> that he had been detained by the Israel Defense Forces with a group of rabbis and other volunteers. In a video posted on X<\/a> by the Haaretz newspaper, Lander said he and dozens of activists were being taken away by the military on a bus. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d he said. \u201cWe came because we believe Palestinians have a right to harvest that olive field.\u201d<\/p>\n Another activist who appears in the post by Haaretz said the bus was headed to a police station.<\/p>\n Lander\u2019s representatives didn\u2019t immediately comment on the episode. Spokespeople for the Israeli military and police also had no immediate comment.<\/p>\n The fall olive harvest is often a flashpoint between Palestinians and Israeli settlers who have been expanding their hold on occupied land with the encouragement of far-rightists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s coalition government. <\/p>\n The Palestinians and their supporters accuse the settlers of a campaign of violence and intimidation. Israeli authorities have vowed to crack down on settler attacks but have frequently taken action against Palestinians and activists they accuse of fomenting such confrontations. <\/p>\n Lander has been critical of Israel\u2019s actions against the Palestinians, including in the Gaza war, which he has condemned as a \u201cgenocide.\u201d Israel rejects that term, saying its fight is with Islamist radicals sworn to its destruction. <\/p>\n