In brief
Republican‑leaning U.S. congressman Ro Khanna was detained for 90 minutes by Israeli settlers armed with M4 rifles while touring a West Bank village. He released a statement on X claiming the Israel Defense Forces sided with the settlers. By the time IDF soldiers arrived, the settlers dispersed and the convoy was finally allowed to continue. Khanna was inspecting the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, documenting the impact of Israeli occupation. The incident highlights broader tensions around settlement expansion and the treatment of foreign visitors in disputed territories.
On Wednesday, Rep. Ro Khanna, 49, was seized by a group of Israeli settlers armed with M4 rifles while he and his aides were traveling in a van near Khirbet Zanuta, a village destroyed during the 1967 war.
Khanna posted the incident on X, writing: When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrived, I was told that they sided with the settlers and continued our detention. He added that the 90‑minute detention ended only after a contingent of Israeli police intervened.
The IDF released a statement that troops and police officers moved in after receiving a report that the settlers had blocked vehicles. Director‑general of the Defence Forces said the soldiers dispersed the civilians and cleared the route for the convoy.
Khanna had come to the West Bank on a fact‑finding mission to inspect the aftermath of the occupation, noting that “the village had been destroyed, the school was razed, and we were simply looking at the evidence.” He added that the settlers “came in with machine guns, an American‑made M4, and they blocked the road. When we called the embassy for help, the IDF came and sided with the settlers.”
Israel has built roughly 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, housing around 700,000 Jews, while about 3.3 million Palestinians live in the same territory. The settlements are widely regarded as illegal under international law, adding further friction to the already tense dynamics in the region.
Rep. Khanna, a father of two and a political strategist who has floated a Trump‑era presidential run, said he hopes the incident will spur a broader discussion about the treatment of foreign observers in disputed zones.
