US lawmaker Ro Khanna reports detention by armed Israeli settlers in West Bank

Khanna, a prominent Democratic US lawmaker from California, claimed the Israeli military was complicit, a charge the Israeli Defense Forces IDF denied. According to Khanna, armed Israeli settlers, brandishing American-made M4s, blocked their path. He further alleged that when the Israeli military arrived, they sided with the settlers and continued the detention.

Footage and accounts provided to The New York Times by Khanna and his team show armed men blocking a road and swearing in Hebrew and Arabic. Khanna told the Times that IDF soldiers spoke with the settlers and then blocked the road themselves after the settlers left. He commented on the experience, saying, "Imagine how people feel every day, Palestinians under the occupation, if they could make an American congressperson feel powerless for 90 minutes."

After contacting the US embassy and Israeli police, Khanna was allowed to pass. The Israeli military stated they received a report about Israeli civilians unlawfully blocking vehicles in Khirbet Zanuta, and that IDF troops dispersed the civilians and reopened the road, denying any involvement in blocking it. The United Nations has reported a sharp increase in violence attributed to Israeli settlers in the West Bank since October 2023.