In brief
During a fact‑finding trip to the occupied West Bank, U.S. Representative Ro Khanna said he and his team were surrounded by armed Israeli settlers and detained for roughly 90 minutes. He claimed that Israeli Defense Forces sided with the settlers and sustained the detention. Israeli officials said troops dispersed the settlers and cleared the road upon arrival. The incident underscores ongoing tensions over Israel’s settlement expansion and its legal status under international law.
U.S. Senator Ro Khanna, who announced plans to run for president in 2028, said he and his staff were detained for about 90 minutes by armed Israeli settlers during a visit to Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank.
According to Khanna’s post on X, the group was surrounded by settlers wielding M4 rifles before Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) arrived. He claimed that the IDF backed the settlers, continuing the detention and blocking their vehicle’s exit.
Israeli officials responded that troops and police officers had intervened after a report that settlers had blocked the road, dispersing the civilians and allowing the convoy to continue. They stated that the troops “dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way.”
Khanna was exploring the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, a village that Israeli settlers had reportedly demolished, and described the scene as “a shattered village” with abandoned school buildings.
The incident has reignited debate over Israel’s settlement policy. Since 1967, Israel has established roughly 160 settlements, housing about 700,000 settlers, which Palestinians consider part of their future state alongside Gaza. The majority of these settlements are deemed illegal under international law, a stance upheld by many UN resolutions.
The encounter illustrates ongoing friction between Israeli security forces and settlers, and the broader geopolitical tensions that affect U.S. foreign policy, particularly concerning the Middle Eastern peace process.
