WEST BANK — U.S. Representative Ro Khanna said armed Israeli settlers detained him for 90 minutes in the occupied West Bank this week, during a visit to the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta. Khanna, a California congressman, stated that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) personnel who arrived at the scene sided with the settlers and prolonged the detention.

Khanna said settlers wielding M4 rifles surrounded his van while his group was observing the remains of Khirbet Zanuta. “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 said. His aide, Cameron Kasky, confirmed the group was held for more than an hour.

According to Khanna, his delegation appealed to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for assistance during the standoff. He stated that the group was ultimately released only after a separate contingent of police officers intervened. “When the Israel Defense Forces arrived, they sided with the settlers and continued our detention,” Khanna said.

The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement asserting that troops and police responded to a report of settlers blocking vehicles in the area. The IDF said, “Upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way.” This account contrasts with Khanna’s description of IDF personnel supporting the settlers during the detention.

Khanna, who represents California’s 17th congressional district, made the remarks as part of broader commentary on human rights in the region. The following day, he stated he is strongly considering a presidential run in 2028 and feels more resolved to do so after this trip. He also said, “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.” Israel rejects allegations that it carried out a genocide in Gaza or that it instituted an apartheid regime in the West Bank.

Why It Matters

The incident occurred in the West Bank, territory Israel captured from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East war. More than 700,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while an estimated 3.3 million Palestinians reside in the West Bank. The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.

Background reports add context to ongoing tensions: a June report by a UN independent international commission of inquiry concluded that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in war crimes in the West Bank. According to data from the human rights organization Yesh Din, no Israeli has been indicted for the killing of a Palestinian since October 2023.