Lefty congressional nominee Brad Lander claimed Wednesday he was “detained” by the Israeli Defense Forces while working on an olive harvest in the West Bank.
Lander, the former Big Apple Comptroller who is running for Congress in the Nov. 3 election, posted a picture of himself glaring at the camera while onboard a bus with others who were on their phones and didn’t seem fazed.
“I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers,” Lander posted on X. “We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank.”
It is unclear if Lander, who is vying for New York’s 10th Congressional District seat, was doing anything else besides olive harvesting.
“The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know,” he added.
Lander had bested outgoing Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) in their June primary, mounting a challenge against him from the left. Lander, who is Jewish, has been an outspoken critic of Israel.