Detention Incident in the West Bank
US Congressman Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California, recounted being detained by armed Israeli settlers during a visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The incident occurred on July 8, 2026, while his delegation was inspecting a Palestinian village that had been attacked by settlers. Khanna described the experience as a firsthand look at the realities faced by Palestinians under occupation.
In an interview with Reuters on July 9, Khanna stated that settlers carrying US-made M4 rifles surrounded his group's van. He said, "We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed – they had destroyed the school, they had destroyed that village, and we were just looking at it." The settlers blocked the road and called the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which Khanna noted is funded by US military aid. "And these hoodlums … detain us. They block off the road. And then they call the IDF and the IDF is on their side, not on the side of the Americans," he said.
Khanna's Reaction and Broader Implications
Khanna expressed frustration at the settlers' arrogance and the IDF's lack of respect. He told Reuters, "I saw the arrogance in the eyes of those settlers, 21- and 22-year-olds with guns, laughing that they had detained us, the arrogance of those young IDF soldiers that my tax dollars are funding – having no respect for the fact that they were detaining Americans, no respect that there was an American congressperson in that bus, and laughing when our translator told them that there are Americans there and the American embassy is concerned." He described the encounter as illustrating "the arrogance of power – of a power that has had no accountability, total impunity – and it’s created a toxic culture of oppression."
The New York Times first reported Khanna's account on July 10. He told the outlet, "I felt powerless in that situation, which is not an easy thing, as I have a lot of privilege in life. Imagine how people feel every day, Palestinians under the occupation, if they could make an American congressperson feel powerless for 90 minutes." The group was eventually able to continue after contacting the US embassy and Israeli police.
Context of Settlement Violence
The Israeli military said troops and police responded after receiving a report that settlers were obstructing vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet whose residents were forced to leave after violent settler raids following the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023. More than 700,000 Israelis reside in settlements across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The United Nations considers these settlements illegal, and Israel has faced repeated criticism over settler violence.
Since Israel took control of the West Bank in 1967, restrictions have prevented the territory from developing a self-sustaining economy. These restrictions intensified after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, leading to nearly 300,000 Palestinians losing employment in the West Bank and Israel. A June 2026 UN report concluded that Israeli authorities have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, constituting genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Gaza and war crimes in the West Bank. According to Yesh Din, no Israeli has been indicted for killing a Palestinian since October 2023.
Khanna's Political Future
Khanna, a vocal critic of the Gaza war and West Bank occupation, has clashed with his party's establishment. In May 2026, he released a video criticizing the Democratic National Committee's postmortem on the 2024 presidential election loss, which did not mention Gaza. He said, "As someone who campaigned in Michigan and Wisconsin, let me tell you – one of the reasons we lost is our blank check to Israel and [prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu while they committed genocide in Gaza." He added that the party must confront hard truths to win in 2028. When asked by Reuters if he intends to run for president, Khanna replied, "I’m strongly considering it. And I’m more resolved to consider it after this trip."
