Rep. Ro Khanna says armed settlers detained him during West Bank visit

Lead

US Democratic Representative Ro Khanna has said he was detained by Israeli settlers armed with US-made rifles during a visit to the occupied West Bank this week, an experience he described as a firsthand look at the challenges faced by Palestinians under Israeli occupation. The incident occurred on July 8 near the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, a Bedouin village in the southern West Bank, according to Khanna and his aides.

Khanna, a progressive lawmaker from California who is weighing a 2028 presidential run, said his group's van was surrounded by settlers carrying M4 rifles while they toured the area. In an interview with Reuters, Khanna recounted: "We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed, they had destroyed the school, they had destroyed that village, and we were just looking at it." He added: "And these hoodlums come in with machine guns – M4, an American-made machine gun – and they detain us. They block off the road. And then they call the IDF and the IDF is on their side, not on the side of the Americans."

The Israeli military said troops and police intervened after receiving a report of settlers blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta. "Upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way," the military said. Khanna's aide, Cameron Kasky, said they were held for more than an hour and made appeals to the US Embassy in Jerusalem before a group of officers who appeared to be police intervened, leading to their release.

Coverage Comparison

Reports of the incident varied in detail and framing across outlets. Al Jazeera and the BBC provided brief reports focused on the detention itself, with the BBC noting the IDF dispersed the settlers. Dawn and The Guardian offered more extensive accounts, including that Khanna was visiting a Palestinian village and that he was allowed to continue after calls to the US embassy and Israeli police. The Hindu specified that Khanna was visiting the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta and that the settlers were armed with US-made M4 rifles. The Intercept provided further details about the Hilltop Youth, an extremist settler group, which Khanna's security aide reportedly identified among the settlers. The Jerusalem Post, in addition to reporting the incident, covered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response, as well as Khanna's broader criticism of Israel.

Key Claims

• Khanna and his delegation were detained by Israeli settlers during a visit to the West Bank. This was reported by multiple outlets, including Al Jazeera, BBC, Dawn, The Guardian, and The Jerusalem Post.
• The incident occurred in the southern West Bank, near the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, a village whose residents were displaced by settler raids following the 2023 Hamas attacks. This was reported by outlets including The Hindu and The Intercept.
• The settlers were armed with US-made M4 rifles, as stated by Khanna in interviews with Reuters and other outlets.
• The IDF arrived and, according to Khanna, sided with the settlers. However, the Israeli military said it dispersed the civilians and reopened the road. This discrepancy is reflected in reports from the Jerusalem Post, which quoted both Khanna and the IDF.
• Khanna was eventually allowed to continue his journey after calls to the US embassy and Israeli police. This was reported by The Hindu and Dawn.

Perspectives

Ro Khanna (US Representative, Democrat, California) Khanna described the detention as an illustration of the "arrogance of power" and said it gave him a sense of powerlessness. He told Reuters and The New York Times that he felt "powerless in that situation," and he has accused the Israeli military of siding with the settlers. In a post on X, he said the Israelis made a "huge mistake." He also said the experience made him "acutely aware of being brown" for the first time.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) The military said troops and police officers were dispatched after receiving a report of settlers blocking vehicles. They stated that "upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way." The IDF's account frames the response as restoring order, in contrast to Khanna's characterization that they prolonged the detention.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu In an interview with NBC, Netanyahu acknowledged a "vigilante effort" in the West Bank but attributed it to "150 juvenile delinquents that are not a part of that [the settler] community." He maintained that "99% [of the settler community] are law-abiding citizens" and said his government was "working to put them under the law." He added that "Israel, unlike our neighbors, is a democracy of law, and we act against those who break the law."

The Jerusalem Post (editorial perspective) In an op-ed, the publication characterized Khanna as "not a friend of ours," citing his criticism of Israel's military conduct and his opposition to funding for the Iron Dome. The piece framed his visit as motivated by a "visceral dislike of Israel" and argued that his allegations lack substantiation.