Israel releases US congressional candidate Brad Lander after arrest at Palestinian olive harvest

US congressional candidate Brad Lander was released from Israeli custody, after security forces detained him along with dozens of Jewish American and Israeli activists participating in an olive harvest in the Palestinian village of Nahalin in Samaria, which Israeli authorities say was unauthorized.

The Foreign Ministry slammed Lander for trying to harvest "headlines," claiming his "latest stunt is nothing more than a calculated political provocation."

The ministry added that "Lander traveled to a foreign country, deliberately entered a restricted security area, and participated in an unauthorized activity without the required coordination" despite having been informed that proper coordination with the relevant authorities was required.

However, The Times of Israel reported that Lander wasn't detained in an area that required prior coordination, as per a map distributed to Palestinian farmers by the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration unit.