US congressional candidate Brad Lander detained in West Bank

Brad Lander, a Democratic congressional candidate and ally of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, was detained by Israeli authorities in the West Bank on Tuesday while accompanying Palestinian farmers harvesting olives, an Israeli human rights organization said.

Lander was among approximately 90 people detained during the incident, according to Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli organization that advocates for Palestinian rights.

He was subsequently released with a warning, according to an update Wednesday.

Lander, a Jewish American politician, previously served as New York City comptroller and ran for mayor. He is the Democratic nominee for New York's 10th Congressional District in next month's election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

A political ally of Mamdani, Lander has been an outspoken critic of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The circumstances surrounding the detentions were not immediately clear, including the grounds on which Israeli authorities held the group.

There was no immediate comment from Israel Police or the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

Rabbis for Human Rights regularly accompanies Palestinian farmers during the annual olive harvest in the West Bank, where disputes over access to agricultural land and tensions involving Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents have repeatedly disrupted harvesting activities.