US Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said armed Israeli settlers detained him during a recent visit to the occupied West Bank, describing the incident as a stark illustration of the impact of the Israeli occupation on Palestinians, according to Reuters.
Khanna, who is considering a 2028 presidential bid, said the incident occurred during a visit to a village in the southern West Bank that settler attacks have repeatedly targeted.
According to Khanna, settlers carrying US-made M4 rifles surrounded the van carrying his delegation, blocked the road and called the Israeli military while the group was inspecting what he described as a village that settlers had destroyed.
Cameron Kasky, one of Khanna's aides who was travelling with the delegation, said the group was held for more than an hour and appealed to the US Embassy in Jerusalem for assistance. He said officers believed to be police eventually intervened, allowing the group to continue its journey.
The Israeli military said army and police forces responded after receiving reports that Israeli civilians were blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, a small Palestinian village whose residents were displaced following violent settler attacks after Hamas' 2023 assault on Israel.
According to the military, security forces dispersed the Israeli civilians upon arrival and allowed the vehicles to proceed. Israeli police and the US Embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
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