Israeli military detains about 80 volunteers during West Bank olive harvest
The Israeli military detained approximately 80 American, Israeli and British volunteers while they assisted Palestinians with olive harvesting near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. Among those detained was New York Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander, along with several rabbis and Israel's former deputy attorney general. Lander, who describes himself as a liberal Zionist, stated that the detention was unjust and that harvesting olives is not a crime under any law he knows.
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The Israeli military detained roughly 80 American, Israeli and British volunteers near Nahalin in the occupied West Bank while they were helping Palestinians harvest olives. Those detained included New York Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander, several rabbis, and Israel's former deputy attorney general.
Lander is Jewish and a vocal critic of the Israeli government's policies. From a bus transporting the detained group to a police station, he wrote: "I've been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis and volunteers. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nahalin in the West Bank. The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn't a crime under any law I know."
Lander describes himself as a liberal Zionist, meaning he supports Israel's existence as a Jewish homeland but argues that Israel cannot remain a genuine democracy while denying Palestinians human rights and freedom. The Israeli military has not issued a public statement regarding the legal grounds for the detentions.
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