'Imagine How Palestinians Feel Every Day': Ro Khanna After Detention By Settlers, IDF
New Delhi: US Representative Ro Khanna said reportedly detained by settlers and the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank and released only after calls to the American Embassy in Jerusalem.
A representative for Khanna, a California Democrat, said the confrontation occurred Wednesday in the middle of a three-day tour of the West Bank. As the congressman visited a Palestinian village that had been abandoned after settler attacks, masked men with guns stopped his group and refused to let them leave.
The New York Times said the incident was witnessed by one of its photographers. Khanna's office said it occurred in the town of Khirbet Zanuta.
Khanna said that when Israeli soldiers arrived he was dispirited to see them interact in a friendly manner with the settlers and block the exit for the congressman's party. Not until the US Embassy and Israeli police were called was Khanna's group allowed to proceed.
“If this can happen to an American member of Congress, imagine what life is like for Palestinians who have no smartphones, no security, and no national platform,” Khanna said in a fundraising email he sent out shortly after his post Saturday about the incident.
The Israeli Defense Forces denied detaining any visitors in the incident. In a statement, the IDF said it received a report of Israeli citizens blocking foreign nationals and media in Khirbet Zanuta.
“Upon receiving the report, IDF troops were dispatched to the scene, quickly dispersed the Israeli civilians, and reopened the blocked road,” the military said in a statement. “The IDF soldiers operating in the area did not take part in blocking the road.”
Khanna rejected this statement, saying, "The IDF is lying."
"What happened was unprecedented. They had violent settlers detain American citizens, including an American government official. You had these settlers brandishing M4S, kicking the tires off our van, laughing at us, mocking us, videotaping us," he told NBC.
In a video released on X, Khanna brought the focus back on Palestinians, saying, "Imagine how people feel every day, Palestinians under the occupation, if they could make an American congressperson feel powerless for 90 minutes."
Thank you to all those who reached out asking about my safety. I am home. But I cannot get the stories of the indignities Palestinian face out or my head. I am still processing it and wanted to share some of what I saw. pic.twitter.com/jj8S59duKz
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) July 12, 2026
Israeli newspaper Haaretz released an editorial backing this, saying that what Khanna faced was 'VIP abuse'. "Had he been a Palestinian, or even an Israeli human rights activist, the situation would have looked very different. His car might have been smashed to pieces, or blood might even have been shed," the editorial notes. "...The current government is not merely failing to deal with the violence in the West Bank, but is actually deliberately enabling it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that the violence stems merely from "150 juvenile delinquents" is proof of this. Thus, in addition to the security forces, which must come to their senses and resume dealing with such nationalist crimes, we also need "protective intervention" – either American or European – that will increase pressure on the government until the pogroms by lawbreaking settlers come to an end."
Democratic politicians from the United States have stepped up their criticism of Israel amid a sharp turn against the country by the party's voters since the war on Gaza began. This past week, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, whose father was born in Jerusalem and fought in Israel's war of independence, gave a blistering speech last week in Tel Aviv in which he said Israel has become a “territorial pariah.”
In a recent survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about 58% of Democrats said the US is “too supportive” of Israelis.
The West Bank has seen a surge of settlement construction, and settler violence against Palestinians, in the past few years. The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements illegal. Israel’s government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under heavy criticism from Palestinians and rights groups for accelerating settlement expansion.
(With inputs from AP)
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