Settlers detained an American deputy during a visit to the West Bank

U.S. Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said he was detained by Israeli settlers armed with American-made rifles during a recent visit to the West Bank, describing the trip as an opportunity to witness the true impact of the Israeli occupation on people’s lives.

Speaking to Reuters from a Palestinian village on Thursday, Khanna, who is considering a run for the presidency in 2028, said that settlers carrying M-4 rifles surrounded the car he was traveling in the previous day during a tour of a region in the southern West Bank where residents face repeated attacks by settlers.

The California congressman added, “We were in a village destroyed by Israeli settlers... They destroyed the school and destroyed that village, and we were just inspecting the damage.”

He continued, “Then these criminals arrived with M-4 rifles, which are American-made, and detained us. They blocked the road. Then they contacted the Israeli military, and the Israeli military sided with them, not with the Americans.”

Cameron Caskey, one of Khanna’s aides who was part of the group, said they were detained for more than an hour and pleaded with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for help. He added that a group of officers, who appeared to be police, eventually intervened, leading to their release.

The Israeli military stated that forces from the army and police intervened after receiving a report that settlers had blocked vehicles near Khirbet Zanutta, a small Palestinian village whose residents were forcibly displaced following violent attacks by settlers in the wake of Hamas’s attacks on Israel in 2023.