Escalation of Zionist Attacks Against Western Officials and Solidarity Activists
Israel has escalated measures against Western solidarity activists, arresting Brad Lander and 90 others during olive harvesting near Bethlehem.
Translated by Qiyas from الوسط — Original source
Israeli occupation forces escalated their measures against prominent Western figures, with the latest being the arrest of Brad Lander, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in next month’s elections, along with 90 others, while they were accompanying Palestinian farmers in the West Bank. The Israeli army subsequently released Lander with a warning, marking the latest Israeli assault on foreign officials and solidarity activists in the West Bank. This occurred less than two weeks after settlers attacked European diplomats and officials during their visit to the West Bank and assaulted an American journalist, sparking condemnation and outrage in Brussels and Washington.
The Israeli army surprised a large group of foreign solidarity activists and Israelis who were helping Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the town of Ni’lin, near Bethlehem in the West Bank. They halted their work, arrested them, placed them on buses, and transported them to an unknown location.
Lander wrote on X: “The Israeli occupation army detained me along with a group of rabbis and volunteers. We were doing nothing but picking olives in an orchard near Ni’lin in the West Bank. The occupation is a crime under international law, but picking olives is not a crime under any law I know of.”
Lander arrived with others as part of a visit organized by the organization “Rabbis for Human Rights” to an area very close to the settlement of Beitar Illit, which is off-limits to Palestinians. Palestinians are prohibited from accessing their lands adjacent to any West Bank settlement, as these areas are designated as security zones. A local Palestinian official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the visit had not been coordinated with any official Palestinian authority, not even with local bodies. He added, “It appears to have been coordinated directly with the farmers themselves.”
According to him, army forces raided the area about two hours after the solidarity activists arrived and arrested everyone present, including an elderly Palestinian woman believed to be the landowner. The olives were also confiscated.
The Israeli organization “Rabbis for Human Rights” confirmed that Lander was among 90 people detained by Israeli authorities while accompanying Palestinian farmers harvesting olives.
