US Congressman Ro Khanna Detained by Armed Settlers in West Bank
US Representative Ro Khanna was detained for 90 minutes by armed Israeli settlers during a fact-finding mission to the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. Khanna, a Democratic congressman from California, reported that masked individuals wielding US-made M4 rifles blocked his delegation’s vehicle and that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops failed to intervene, instead siding with the settlers.
Detention at Khirbet Zanuta
The incident occurred while Congressman Khanna and his team were visiting the abandoned Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta. The delegation was inspecting a school that Khanna stated had been destroyed by Israeli settlers. According to Khanna, masked settlers surrounded the van and blocked the road, refusing to let the group depart for approximately an hour and a half.
Khanna described the encounter as a manifestation of a “toxic culture of oppression,” noting the age of the settlers—whom he identified as 21- and 22-year-olds—and their perceived arrogance. He specifically highlighted the irony of the situation, stating that the IDF soldiers involved were funded by his own tax dollars.
Khanna told Reuters that the confrontation made him “acutely aware of being brown.”
Conflicting Accounts from the IDF
The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement denying that its soldiers participated in the road blockade. The IDF maintained that after receiving a report that a vehicle carrying foreign nationals was being obstructed, troops were dispatched to the scene, dispersed the Israeli civilians, and reopened the road.
Khanna rejected this version of events, accusing the Israeli government of “lying to cover up” the conduct of the troops and calling for the soldiers involved to be arrested.
Pattern of Violence and Restricted Access
This detention follows a separate incident near the West Bank village of Sinjil, where Israeli police arrested four settlers for attacking a CNN crew and other journalists. Those reporters were covering the first anniversary of the killing of Saif Musallet, a Palestinian American who was allegedly beaten to death by settlers in July 2025.
The incident involving Khanna occurs within a broader context of restricted access for critics of the Israeli government. In 2019, Israel blocked visits by US Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. Last month, Palestinian American activist Linda Sarsour was prevented from traveling to Israel. Additionally, journalist Tucker Carlson reported being detained and questioned at Ben Gurion Airport after interviewing US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, though Israeli authorities characterized the event as a routine security check.
Israeli settlements on Palestinian land are illegal under international law. The UN has repeatedly condemned Israel for allowing the settlements to expand.
