An article summarized by NBC News:
Rep. Ro Khanna said he and his delegation were detained for more than an hour by Israeli settlers armed with U.S.-made M4 rifles while visiting the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta in the occupied West Bank. Khanna said the settlers surrounded their van after the group toured a village he said had been destroyed by settler violence. He criticized the Israeli military, claiming it sided with the settlers rather than the American visitors, though he said U.S. Embassy officials later helped secure their release.
The Israeli military and police disputed parts of Khanna’s account, saying troops and officers responded after receiving reports that Israeli civilians were unlawfully blocking the group's vehicles. Officials said soldiers dispersed the settlers and reopened the road, while police stated the group had entered a closed military zone and was warned against future violations. Authorities said they witnessed no violence during the incident and denied that Israeli forces participated in blocking the delegation.
The incident comes as Khanna weighs a potential 2028 presidential campaign and amid growing divisions within the Democratic Party over U.S. policy toward Israel. Following the trip, Khanna argued that the treatment his delegation received reflected the challenges faced by Palestinians under Israeli occupation and renewed his calls for stronger criticism of Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel continues to reject accusations of genocide in Gaza and apartheid in the West Bank, while debate over U.S. military aid to Israel has become an increasingly contentious issue in American politics.
