U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna Detained by Armed Israeli Settlers
US congressman Ro Khanna says he was detained for 90 minutes by armed Israeli settlers during a visit to the occupied West Bank.
Khanna, 49, was traveling in a van with his staff when surrounded by settlers wielding M4 rifles on Wednesday, according to his statement on X.
He claims the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sided with settlers and continued the detention, according to his post.
The Israeli military stated troops and police acted after a report that settlers blocked vehicles.
Khanna was visiting the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, a fact‑finding trip to assess the occupation’s impact.
He added that settlers had destroyed a village and a school, and that the settlers used machine guns to detain them, refusing help from the US Embassy until police intervened.
The incident comes amid the ongoing issue of settlements, deemed illegal under international law, with roughly 700,000 Jews living in about 160 settlements built since 1967.
