Washington, D.C. — Today, Leah Greenberg, Co-Executive Director of Indivisible, released the following statement on the detention of Brad Lander and other activists helping Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank:
“The detention of Brad Lander and dozens of other activists helping Palestinians harvest olives on land they have been denied access to since October 2023 due to the occupation underscores the violence, harassment, and intimidation Palestinian farmers are subjected to daily. Lander has since been released, but many others remain detained. If Israeli forces are willing to detain prominent American figures in broad daylight, imagine what Palestinians endure when the cameras are off – especially amid escalating settler violence against them.
“As Lander noted, occupation is a crime under international law, but harvesting olives is not a crime under any law. As Israeli settler violence against Palestinian farmers escalates, the State Department continues to fail to hold the Israeli government accountable, allowing these abuses to continue with impunity. The State Department must act now to secure the release of those still detained, ensure U.S. citizens receive urgent consular assistance, and end the U.S. government’s complicity in enabling Israel’s ongoing human rights abuses.”
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