US Congressman Ro Khanna Says Armed Israeli Settlers Detained Him in Occupied West Bank

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California told Reuters that he and his delegation were detained by armed Israeli settlers while visiting a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank. Khanna recounted how settlers carrying US-made M4 rifles surrounded the group's van. He noted that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), partly funded by US military aid, arrived and sided with the settlers, not the Americans. "I saw the arrogance in the eyes of those 21- and 22-year-old settlers laughing that they had detained us," Khanna said. He added that the IDF soldiers showed no respect for the fact that they were detaining Americans, even laughing when a translator informed them of the presence of a US congressman. Khanna aide Cameron Kasky wrote on X that the IDF showed up to back up the settlers, not the congressman. Khanna described the incident as an illustration of "the arrogance of power – of a power that has had no accountability, total impunity." He admitted feeling powerless and urged people to imagine how Palestinians feel under occupation daily. The group was able to continue after contacting the US embassy and Israeli police. The Israeli military confirmed that troops and police responded to a report of settlers blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet whose residents were displaced after violent settler raids following the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Over 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with the UN considering settlements illegal. Restrictions since 1967 have hindered the territory's economy. In June, a UN commission concluded that Israeli authorities had committed war crimes in the West Bank, and human rights group Yesh Din reported that no Israeli has been indicted for killing a Palestinian since October 2023. Khanna, a vocal critic of the Gaza war and West Bank occupation, said he is strongly considering running for president.