Nahalin

And I was detained myself yesterday.

We went to the Palestinian village of Nahalin, a group actually of about 70, 75 activists, Israeli, American, mainly Jewish, many rabbis, members of Israeli society who have held senior positions as a statement of solidarity and really as a human rights defense to help Palestinian farmers reach their olives.

This is something we do every day of the olive harvest.

and yet after two hours of very peaceful harvesting we were approached by a large number of security forces and presented a closed military zone we immediately said we would respect this closed military zone and leave the area but we prevented from doing so and there was a massive detention of all of the activists who were there uh taken in uh prisoner buses uh to the nearby police station in the settlement and it took maybe eight or nine hours to process us With many threats of deportation for international activists and the Israeli activists receiving West Bank bans and an enormous investment of forces of time, of energy, which is deeply ironic in the face of the settler terrorism that is happening without impunity.

Lander was among a group of 80 to 90 volunteers detained by Israeli forces on Wednesday, that according to the NGO Rabbis for Human Rights.

The group was near the village of Nahalin outside Bethlehem, accompanying Palestinian farmers during the annual olive harvest.

The Israeli military said the harvest had not been coordinated with authorities in advance.

It cited the need to maintain security and public order, and soldiers declared the area a closed military zone.

The other one is during Ramadan.

But yeah, Israel went in with a bus full of Jews, including U.S. Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander, stopped the bus and detained them in Nahalin, West Bank.

There were also dozens of American and Israeli rabbis and activists on Wednesday, and the U.S. and Israeli delegation was helping Palestinians harvest olives from their grove close to a settlement in the Occupy West Bank.

Lander, a House nominee and former New York City comptroller, said he was released from Israeli military custody with a warning, but others remained detained.

He joined rabbis and other volunteers with the Protect the Harvest organization, which is a nonprofit that helps Palestinian farmers harvest their olives.

About 90 volunteers with the Israeli group Rabbis for Human Rights were detained near Nahalin, which is a village outside of Bethlehem.

Authorities say the group was carrying out an uncoordinated olive harvest in an area that requires prior authorization.

But the Times of Israel News right here in Israel reports that according to IDF maps, There was no coordination needed in that specific area.

Hi, Mark.

I'm currently detained at, uh, uh, the Beit Arla police station, uh, having been, uh, uh, detained on the ground with about 80 activists who came to the town of Nahalin to help with the olive harvest.

Um, the army enclosed a, a closed military zone order on the entire area, I believe, and rounded up yourself with all the activists together, I believe.

This is correct.

And that brings us to Brad Lander.

On October 21, the former New York City comptroller and Democratic congressional nominee joined a harvest delegation near Nahalin, outside of Bethlehem.

He is a candidate for Congress, not a sitting congressman.

According to reporting, approximately 90 participants were, quote, detained.