Congressman Ro Khanna was detained by armed Israeli settlers for more than an hour during a West Bank visit this week, marking a rare incident involving a U.S. lawmaker and highlighting escalating tensions over Israeli settlement expansion and American support for Israel.
Khanna, a California Democrat, said his delegation’s van was surrounded by settlers wielding American-made M4 rifles on Wednesday while visiting Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet whose residents had been forcibly displaced by violent settler raids. “We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed, they had destroyed the school, they had destroyed that village, and we were just looking at it,” Khanna said, according to Reuters. “And these hoodlums come in with machine guns – M4, an American-made machine gun – and they detain us.”
An aide to Khanna who was in the group, Cameron Kasky, said they were held for more than an hour and made appeals to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for help. A group of police officers eventually intervened, leading to their release, Kasky said. The Israeli military said troops and police officers dispersed the settlers after receiving a report of vehicles being blocked near Khirbet Zanuta, allowing the vehicles to continue.
Khanna’s account diverged sharply from the military’s statement on one critical point. Writing on X, Khanna said that when the Israel Defense Forces arrived, “they sided with the settlers and continued our detention.” The Israeli military’s account made no mention of continuing the detention after troops arrived.
Khanna, who has long been critical of Israeli policy toward Palestinians, framed the visit as an unfiltered look at the human toll of Israeli occupation. He said he chose to visit exclusively the West Bank, with programming led by Palestinians, to understand the situation directly. “If you’re unwilling to speak up for Palestinian human rights, if you’re unwilling to speak up against the genocide in Gaza, the apartheid in the West Bank, then you are morally compromised,” Khanna said.
The incident comes as Israel’s conduct toward Palestinians has become a flashpoint in Democratic politics. Israel’s favorability rating among Democrats fell from 59% in 2018 to 22% in May, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. Khanna is the second Democrat considering a 2028 White House bid to visit the region this week—former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, where he said Israeli policies toward Palestinians were eroding support for the U.S.-Israeli alliance.
Asked if he was running for president, Khanna said: “I’m strongly considering it and I’m more resolved to consider it after this trip.” He has previously called for cutting off military aid to Israel, which amounts to $3.8 billion per year and includes funding for weaponry like the M4 rifles the settlers were carrying.
Sources
- Reuters — Detailed account of Khanna’s detention, quotes from Khanna and aide Cameron Kasky, Israeli military statement, context on Democratic divisions over Israel policy and military aid
- BBC — Confirmation of 90-minute detention duration, Khanna’s quotes, context on West Bank settlements and international law
- The Guardian — Reporting on Khanna’s account that IDF sided with settlers
