US lawmaker Ro Khanna says armed Israeli settlers detained him in West Bank
Khanna, a Democratic representative from California, said the incident occurred on Wednesday while he was touring Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet in the southern West Bank that has witnessed repeated settler attacks.
US Congressman Ro Khanna has claimed that he and his team were detained for more than an hour by armed Israeli settlers during a visit to the occupied West Bank, describing the experience as an "unfiltered" glimpse into the realities of Israeli occupation as he considers a 2028 presidential bid.
Khanna, a Democratic representative from California, said the incident occurred on Wednesday while he was touring Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet in the southern West Bank that has witnessed repeated settler attacks.
According to Khanna, his group's vehicle was surrounded by Israeli settlers carrying American-made M4 rifles after they visited a village that he alleged had been destroyed by settlers.
"We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed... and these hoodlums came in with machine guns... They blocked the road and then called the IDF, which sided with them instead of the Americans," Khanna told Reuters during his visit.
Cameron Kasky, an aide travelling with Khanna, said the group contacted the US Embassy in Jerusalem for assistance while they were being held. He said police officers later arrived and dispersed the settlers, allowing the delegation to leave.
The Israeli military confirmed that troops and police responded after receiving reports of settlers blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta. It said security personnel cleared the civilians from the road and allowed the vehicles to continue. Israeli police did not immediately comment on the incident, while the US Embassy has yet to issue a statement.
The episode came as Khanna signalled that he is seriously weighing a run for the White House in 2028. "I'm strongly considering it, and I'm more resolved to consider it after this trip," he said.
PALESTINE A DIVISIVE ISSUE WITHIN DEMOCRATS
The war in Gaza and Israel's actions in the occupied Palestinian territories have become increasingly divisive issues within the Democratic Party ahead of the US midterm elections. Progressive lawmakers have intensified calls to restrict American military assistance to Israel, which currently receives about $3.8 billion annually in US security aid.
Speaking from Turmus Ayya, a Palestinian town in the central West Bank, Khanna argued that many Democratic leaders underestimate how central the Israel-Palestine conflict has become to younger voters and progressives.
He said he deliberately chose to spend his visit entirely in the West Bank, with Palestinian-led engagements, to better understand conditions on the ground.
"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.
Israel has strongly rejected accusations that it has committed genocide in Gaza or practices apartheid in the West Bank.
It also disputes the international consensus that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank violate international law, arguing that the territory is disputed and has longstanding Jewish historical ties.
US Congressman Ro Khanna has claimed that he and his team were detained for more than an hour by armed Israeli settlers during a visit to the occupied West Bank, describing the experience as an "unfiltered" glimpse into the realities of Israeli occupation as he considers a 2028 presidential bid.
Khanna, a Democratic representative from California, said the incident occurred on Wednesday while he was touring Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet in the southern West Bank that has witnessed repeated settler attacks.
According to Khanna, his group's vehicle was surrounded by Israeli settlers carrying American-made M4 rifles after they visited a village that he alleged had been destroyed by settlers.
"We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed... and these hoodlums came in with machine guns... They blocked the road and then called the IDF, which sided with them instead of the Americans," Khanna told Reuters during his visit.
Cameron Kasky, an aide travelling with Khanna, said the group contacted the US Embassy in Jerusalem for assistance while they were being held. He said police officers later arrived and dispersed the settlers, allowing the delegation to leave.
The Israeli military confirmed that troops and police responded after receiving reports of settlers blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta. It said security personnel cleared the civilians from the road and allowed the vehicles to continue. Israeli police did not immediately comment on the incident, while the US Embassy has yet to issue a statement.
The episode came as Khanna signalled that he is seriously weighing a run for the White House in 2028. "I'm strongly considering it, and I'm more resolved to consider it after this trip," he said.
PALESTINE A DIVISIVE ISSUE WITHIN DEMOCRATS
The war in Gaza and Israel's actions in the occupied Palestinian territories have become increasingly divisive issues within the Democratic Party ahead of the US midterm elections. Progressive lawmakers have intensified calls to restrict American military assistance to Israel, which currently receives about $3.8 billion annually in US security aid.
Speaking from Turmus Ayya, a Palestinian town in the central West Bank, Khanna argued that many Democratic leaders underestimate how central the Israel-Palestine conflict has become to younger voters and progressives.
He said he deliberately chose to spend his visit entirely in the West Bank, with Palestinian-led engagements, to better understand conditions on the ground.
"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.
Israel has strongly rejected accusations that it has committed genocide in Gaza or practices apartheid in the West Bank.
It also disputes the international consensus that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank violate international law, arguing that the territory is disputed and has longstanding Jewish historical ties.
