U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) was detained by armed Israeli settlers for over an hour during a visit to the West Bank this week. Khanna, a progressive lawmaker, described the incident as part of an unfiltered look at the human toll of Israeli occupation, as he weighs a potential 2028 presidential run.
Khanna and his group were touring a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank when settlers armed with U.S.-made M4 rifles surrounded their van. The settlers blocked the road and called the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which intervened to disperse the settlers and allow the group to continue. Khanna's aide, Cameron Kasky, said they appealed to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for help during the detention.
The IDF confirmed the incident, stating that troops and police officers intervened after receiving a report of settlers blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, a small Palestinian hamlet. The military said the settlers were dispersed, and the vehicles were allowed to continue. Israel's police and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Khanna's experience highlights ongoing tensions in the West Bank, where Palestinian residents and Israeli activists report increased settler violence since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. The United Nations has reported over 1,000 Palestinian deaths in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem since the war started. Israeli settlements in the territory have also continued to expand.
Several U.S. politicians, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democrats Chris van Hollen and Jeff Merkley, have visited the West Bank in recent months. In May 2025, IDF troops fired warning shots near a group of diplomats visiting the territory, drawing criticism from several nations that support Israel. The IDF said the shots were fired after the group wandered off an approved route and entered a restricted area.
Israeli rights groups have reported that soldiers accused of harming Palestinians in the West Bank are rarely penalized. Between 2016 and 2024, fewer than 1% of 2,427 complaints alleging wrongdoing resulted in indictments.