US congressman says he was detained by armed Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank

Ro Khanna during a visit to Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on 9 July 2026. Photograph: Ammar Awad/Reuters View image in fullscreen Ro Khanna during a visit to Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on 9 July 2026. Photograph: Ammar Awad/Reuters US congressman says he was detained by armed Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank Ro Khanna said settlers were armed with US-made weapons and Israel Defense Forces refused to intervene The US congressman Ro Khanna says armed Israeli settlers detained him during a visit to the Israel -occupied West Bank recently, describing the experience as a first-hand view of the realities faced by Palestinians living under occupation. In an interview with Reuters on Thursday from a Palestinian village, the progressive US House Democrat from California said his detention happened the previous day while his delegation visited an area of the southern West Bank that has experienced repeated attacks by Israeli settlers. Khanna recounted how settlers carrying US-made M4 rifles surrounded the group’s van. Palestinians brace as Israeli settler figures in coalition seek to cement West Bank gains before election Read more “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. Referring to the Israel Defense Forces, which is funded in part by US military aid, Khanna continued: “And these hoodlums … 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.” Khanna also told Reuters, “I saw the arrogance in the eyes of those settlers, 21- and 22-year-olds with guns, laughing that they had detained us, the arrogance of those young IDF soldiers that my tax dollars are funding – having no respect for the fact that they were detaining Americans, no respect that there was an American congressperson in that bus, and laughing when our translator told them that there are Americans there and the American embassy is concerned.” Khanna added that the encounter illustrated “the arrogance of power – of a power that has had no accountability, total impunity – and it’s created a toxic culture of oppression”. The New York Times first reported Khanna’s account on Saturday morning. He told the outlet: “I felt powerless in that situation, which is not an easy thing, as I have a lot of privilege in life. View image in fullscreen Israeli settlers block Ro Khanna’s convoy in Khirbet Zanuta, according to his press team, during a visit to the West Bank on 8 July 2026. Photograph: Ro Khanna's press team/Reuters “Imagine how people feel every day, Palestinians under the occupation, if they could make an American congressperson feel powerless for 90 minutes.” Khanna said he and his group were ultimately able to continue traveling after contacting the US embassy and Israeli police. The Israeli military said troops and poli