US Representative Ro Khanna said he was detained for more than an hour by armed Israeli settlers during a visit to the southern West Bank, in an episode that has added fresh attention to tensions in the occupied territory.
Khanna said the visit was meant to give him a direct look at Palestinian life on the ground, and he described the experience as tense and troubling after his delegation was blocked on a road near a Palestinian village.
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What exactly happened?
According to Reuters, Khanna said settlers carrying U.S.-made rifles stopped his vehicle while the group was touring Khirbet Zanuta, where he said homes and a school had been destroyed. An aide travelling with him said the delegation remained stuck for more than an hour and contacted the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for help
CBS News reported that Khanna said members of the Israel Defense Forces spoke with the settlers and moved a car that was blocking the road. CNN said Khanna claimed settlers and IDF soldiers joined in blocking the group, while NBC News reported that the van was surrounded by settlers with machine guns.
The Israeli military said troops and police responded after receiving a report that settlers were blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, and that they dispersed the civilians and allowed the convoy to move on.
About Ro Khanna
Khanna, a California Democrat, said the trip was organised in a Palestinian-led way so he could get an unfiltered view of the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 war. The incident has renewed concern about settler violence and the risks foreign visitors face in a region already shaped by deep political conflict and repeated clashes. Recent reports from the BBC have also noted a rise in settler attacks in the West Bank, adding context to Khanna's claims
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