Brad Lander first landed on our radar in June 2025, when he was arrested by ICE "for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer" while trying to escort an illegal alien out of the building to prevent his detention. He encouraged others to obstruct ICE after the charges were dropped. He then mounted a losing bid for New York City mayor and in 2026 decided to run for Congress, where he recited a Quran verse at a Queens mosque and said he hoped to partner in Congress with Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. Omar, or should we say Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, repaid the favor on Thursday by standing up for Lander, who was detained by the IDF while picking olives with rabbis. Here's Lander's desperate message from the Holy Land on Wednesday:
I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank. The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know. https://t.co/r7B5Q3RvjY
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) October 21, 2026
@bradlander Very concerned looking selfie.
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) October 21, 2026
@bradlander Try to look scared in your next selfie.
— 🫃🏼💉🇺🇦🇮🇷🇨🇺Hollaria Briden, Esq. (@HollyBriden) October 21, 2026
@bradlander Were there any survivors?
— Max 📟 (@MaxNordau) October 21, 2026
Fortunately for him, the IDF released him and his rabbi buddies from "custody."
I’ve been released from IDF custody with a “warning,” apparently because of my public profile (I told them I wasn’t even a congressmember yet, just a nominee). But several dozen rabbis & participants harvesting olives with me are still in detention. For harvesting olives. They should all be released immediately. To be clear: Palestinians face far worse consequences every day. These detentions by the IDF are one more attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to harvest their olive groves, travel on their roads, and live in their homes. Yet one more element of escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. We’ll update on their status as soon as we hear.
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) October 21, 2026
The post continues:
… should all be released immediately. To be clear: Palestinians face far worse consequences every day. These detentions by the IDF are one more attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to harvest their olive groves, travel on their roads, and live in their homes. Yet one more element of escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. We’ll update on their status as soon as we hear.
@bradlander @rabbis4HR @israelispeaceny @ucpinpalestine This is literally genocide. You are literally a Holocaust survivor.
— Max 📟 (@MaxNordau) October 21, 2026
@bradlander @rabbis4HR @israelispeaceny @ucpinpalestine What legitimate congressional candidate goes to the Middle East two weeks before election day to film a publicity stunt?
— Samantha Ettus (@samanthaettus) October 21, 2026
@bradlander @rabbis4HR @israelispeaceny @ucpinpalestine You're just a lying, self-serving coward. You went to Israel to pull this stunt because you know you're safe there and that the IDF will ultimately protect you. They risk their lives to protect yours. You smear them and then return to your nice luxurious home in New York City.
— Benjamin Sweetwood (@theAmericanBen) October 21, 2026
Omar, who has broken her silence with a TikTok video begging for money and a softball interview with Chris Hayes, spoke up in defense of Lander.
Israeli forces unlawfully detained Brad Lander & dozens of American rabbis for harvesting olives in the West Bank. It's not illegal to harvest olives; Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people is. All detainees must be released immediately. We must end the genocide.
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) October 22, 2026
"Genocide."
This was not about harvesting olives. It was about harvesting headlines. Brad Lander’s latest stunt is nothing more than a calculated political provocation. Lander traveled to a foreign country, deliberately entered a restricted security area, and participated in an unauthorized activity without the required coordination. What makes this stunt even more outrageous is that his own team contacted Israeli representatives in the United States ahead of his visit and was explicitly informed that proper coordination with the relevant authorities was required. He chose to ignore those instructions. At a time of heightened security tensions, Israeli security forces have a responsibility to protect lives, prevent dangerous incidents, and maintain public order. Had anyone been injured as a result of his reckless political theater, Lander would undoubtedly have been among the first to demand that Israeli authorities intervene and provide protection. Brad Lander came looking for a confrontation. Now he is pretending to be its victim.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 21, 2026
The post continues:
… unauthorized activity without the required coordination. What makes this stunt even more outrageous is that his own team contacted Israeli representatives in the United States ahead of his visit and was explicitly informed that proper coordination with the relevant authorities was required. He chose to ignore those instructions. At a time of heightened security tensions, Israeli security forces have a responsibility to protect lives, prevent dangerous incidents, and maintain public order. Had anyone been injured as a result of his reckless political theater, Lander would undoubtedly have been among the first to demand that Israeli authorities intervene and provide protection. Brad Lander came looking for a confrontation. Now he is pretending to be its victim.
We guess he figured Rep. Ro Khanna got some mileage from a similar stunt … why not go for it? Soon, he'll have realized his dream of serving alongside Omar and Tlaib in Congress.
@Ilhan Olive how you’re desperately trying to deflect from your own scandal….
— #MeMyself&EyeRolls (@LisaE333) October 22, 2026
@Ilhan Classic. Distract from being indicted by blaming the Jews.
— Jonathan Levin (@JNLevin) October 22, 2026
@Ilhan Ilhan Omar doesn't follow American law and now she wants to dictate what Israeli law is.
— The Constitutional Conservative (@TheCCShowcast) October 22, 2026
@Ilhan According to Israeli law, this was lawful. Thus your statement is incorrect and should be retracted. When you go to a foreign country, you follow their laws, not your own.
— Keith Siegel (@KeithASiegel) October 22, 2026
@Ilhan Lie. Entered a restricted security zone without coordination with the IDF. Nice try.
— Robert Resnick 🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@RobertResnick) October 22, 2026
@Ilhan Actually no. They didn’t have a permit and were out on an air conditioned bus.
— Suzi Kota (@SuziBKota) October 22, 2026
@Ilhan Well there you are! Tell Brad to stay home and stop stealing olives from other people’s property. Oh, and everybody looks pretty chill on that bus. Are you sure he’s telling the truth?
— Mae Berrie (@MaeBerrie1234) October 22, 2026
@Ilhan He didn’t go to harvest olives. He went knowing he’d be detained. He is a provocateur, not a serious person. People like this in our government are the problem.
— Carlo (@Carlo6065) October 22, 2026
Again, he stole the idea from Khanna. Unfortunately, Lander is running as a Democrat in New York City, so it's likely he and Khanna will be colleagues pretty soon.
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