U.S. Representative Ro Khanna and members of his delegation say they were detained by Israeli settlers armed with U.S.-manufactured rifles during a visit to a Palestinian area of the West Bank this week. The lawmaker described the episode as an unvarnished encounter with the consequences of Israel's presence in the territory, and said it has strengthened his willingness to consider a 2028 presidential bid.
Speaking in a Palestinian village, Khanna said his group was touring a part of the southern West Bank affected by frequent settler violence when their van was encircled. He said the settlers carried M4 rifles and prevented the vehicle from leaving.
"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," Khanna said. "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."
An aide who was traveling with the group, Cameron Kasky, said the delegation was held for more than an hour and that members of the group appealed to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for assistance. Kasky said that after a period of detention, a contingent of officers who appeared to be police intervened and the group was ultimately released.
The Israeli military released a statement saying that troops and police officers stepped in after receiving a report that settlers were blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, a small Palestinian hamlet. The military said its forces dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue their journey. The statement also noted that Khirbet Zanuta's residents had been forcibly displaced by violent settler raids following the 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Israel's police had not issued a response at the time Khanna's group described the incident, and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Political backdrop and intra-party divisions
The encounter comes as Democratic lawmakers remain divided over Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. Khanna is one of several Democrats traveling to the region this week; another Democratic figure visiting the area said publicly that Israeli policy toward Palestinians was eroding support for the U.S.-Israeli relationship.
Asked about his political plans, Khanna said: "I'm strongly considering it and I'm more resolved to consider it after this trip." He framed his West Bank visit as intentionally focused on Palestinian-led programming to provide what he described as an unfiltered view of the territory Israel captured in the 1967 war.
Khanna said the situation in Palestine, Gaza and Israel represents a moral test for his party's establishment. "If you're unwilling to speak up for Palestinian human rights, if you're unwilling to speak up against the genocide in Gaza, the apartheid in the West Bank, then you are morally compromised," he said.
Israel rejects allegations that it has carried out genocide in Gaza or that it operates an apartheid regime in the West Bank. The West Bank is home to roughly 3 million Palestinians and approximately 500,000 Jewish settlers, figures referenced during public debate in the region. Many countries and the United Nations consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, citing the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel disputes this interpretation, describing the West Bank as disputed territory with a long-standing Jewish presence. Palestinians view the West Bank, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, as part of a prospective Palestinian state.
U.S. support, weapons and shifting Democratic views
The episode also unfolded as some Democrats press for changes in U.S. policy toward Israel, including proposals to cut off military assistance. The article noted that U.S. military aid to Israel amounts to $3.8 billion per year and funds a range of equipment, including light weaponry such as M4 rifles and missile interceptors that have been used in conflicts involving Iran.
Polling cited in the reporting indicates declining favorability for Israel among Democrats, with a fall from 59% in 2018 to 22% in May, according to Reuters/Ipsos figures referenced by those discussing the issue. While Israel has long drawn bipartisan support in the United States, an increasing number of Democratic lawmakers have publicly advocated for reducing or conditioning aid in response to Israeli policy toward the Palestinians.
Local context and consequences
Khanna's remarks came as he and his delegation looked out over a valley marked by settler outposts near Turmus Ayya, a village that is home to thousands of Palestinian-American dual nationals. He said he limited his visit to the West Bank and prioritized programming led by Palestinians to obtain a direct view of the territory's realities.
The Israeli military's account and Khanna's description of the same incident differ in emphasis: Khanna described being detained by armed settlers who he said then called the Israeli military, while the military said its forces dispersed settlers after receiving a report and then allowed the vehicles to proceed. The incident highlights ongoing tensions on the ground in the West Bank and the contested nature of security, rights and sovereignty in the area.
Summary of facts
- Representative Ro Khanna said his van was surrounded and detained by Israeli settlers armed with M4 rifles while visiting a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank.
- An aide, Cameron Kasky, said the group was held for more than an hour and appealed to the U.S. Embassy; police later intervened and released them.
- The Israeli military said troops and police dispersed Israeli civilians blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta and then allowed the vehicles to continue.
- The incident occurs amid Democratic debate over U.S. aid to Israel, with the article noting $3.8 billion per year in military assistance and polling showing reduced favorability for Israel among Democrats.