Left-wing congressional hopeful Brad Lander claimed he was detained by the Israeli Defense Forces while participating in an olive harvest in the West Bank, casting himself as a victim of Israeli security measures even as he seeks higher office in New York.
According to The New York Post, Lander, a former New York City Comptroller now running for Congress in the Nov. 3 election, posted a photo on social media showing himself glaring at the camera aboard a bus, surrounded by fellow passengers who appeared largely unconcerned and absorbed in their phones. Ive been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers, Lander wrote on X, insisting, We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank.
The progressive Democrat, who is vying for New Yorks 10th Congressional District, did not clarify whether he was engaged in any political activity beyond the olive harvest at the time of the alleged detention. He escalated his rhetoric online, declaring, The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isnt a crime under any law I know, language that aligns with the hard-left critique of Israel rather than a balanced approach to a key American ally.
Lander, who is Jewish, has long been an outspoken critic of Israel, positioning himself firmly with activist circles that routinely condemn Israeli security policies while downplaying the threats the Jewish state faces. He previously defeated outgoing Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) in the June primary by challenging him from the left, and his latest social media broadside underscores the increasingly radical posture of some Democrats on foreign policy, raising questions about how such views would shape USIsrael relations if he reaches Congress.
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