Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) said he and other Americans were detained by armed Israeli settlers during a trip to the West Bank, then kept there after Israeli soldiers arrived. The progressive California congressman posted video from the trip and said the settlers were carrying American-made M4 rifles when they stopped his group. Khanna claimed the Israel Defense Forces sided with the settlers instead of helping the Americans leave. The incident quickly spread online because it showed one of the Democratic Party’s most outspoken left-wing voices getting a firsthand encounter with the instability he says Palestinians face every day.
The confrontation reportedly happened near Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank that has been at the center of repeated disputes involving settlers, Palestinians, activists, and international observers. Khanna was on a three-day trip through Palestinian communities and has used the visit to criticize Israeli policy, U.S. military aid, and the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
The episode came as Democrats continue to split over Israel, with younger progressives and anti-Israel activists pressing party leaders to take a harder line against the Netanyahu government. Khanna has also been discussed as a possible 2028 presidential contender, giving the trip a political dimension beyond the incident itself.
Khanna described the encounter in blunt terms after returning to X. He said armed Israeli settlers “detained” him and other Americans during what he called his trip to Palestine. He then said the situation got worse once Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene. According to Khanna, the IDF “sided with the settlers” and continued the detention rather than immediately clearing the road and allowing his group to move on.
Khanna posted about the incident on X, writing, “Israeli settlers, brandishing American made M4s, detained me & other Americans on my trip to Palestine.” He continued, “When the IDF arrived, they sided with the settlers & continued our detention.” Khanna ended the post by saying, “They made a huge mistake. You will be hearing more soon.” The post included footage and images from the confrontation, showing the sort of tense roadblock scene that Khanna said his group encountered during the trip.
Reuters reported that Khanna said his group’s van was surrounded by settlers carrying M4 rifles while the congressman was touring a part of the southern West Bank where Palestinians have complained of repeated settler attacks. Khanna told the outlet that his group had gone to see a village he said settlers had destroyed, including a school. He described the armed men as “hoodlums” and said they blocked the road before calling the IDF. One aide to Khanna said the group was held for more than an hour before officers who appeared to be police helped secure their release.
Watch Khanna describe the confrontation here:
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The Associated Press reported that Khanna’s group was released only after calls were made to the American Embassy in Jerusalem and Israeli police. The outlet said a representative for Khanna described masked men with guns stopping the group and refusing to let them leave. Khanna’s office said the incident occurred while the congressman was visiting a Palestinian village that had been abandoned after settler attacks. The AP also noted that a New York Times photographer witnessed the incident.
The Israeli military disputed Khanna’s version of the event. According to the AP, the IDF said it received a report that Israeli citizens were blocking foreign nationals and media near Khirbet Zanuta. The military said troops were sent to the scene, dispersed the Israeli civilians, and reopened the road. The IDF also said its soldiers “did not take part in blocking the road,” directly pushing back on Khanna’s claim that they continued the detention after arriving.
Khanna used the incident to make a broader argument about Palestinian life under Israeli control. According to the AP, he said in a fundraising email that if this could happen to an American member of Congress, people should imagine what life is like for Palestinians who do not have smartphones, security, or a national platform. Reuters also reported that Khanna described Palestine, Gaza, and Israel as a “moral test” for Democrats. He argued that politicians unwilling to speak up for Palestinians are morally compromised, language that puts him firmly on the left flank of his party’s Israel debate.
The trip has already drawn criticism from pro-Israel voices who say Khanna is using the visit to build his national profile while taking a one-sided view of the conflict. The New York Post reported that a source accused Khanna of blowing off opportunities to meet former Israeli hostages and survivors of the October 7 Hamas attack. The report said the Israeli Embassy had offered several chances for Khanna to meet affected communities, but his team did not respond or follow through. Khanna’s office has framed the trip as an effort to see the West Bank through Palestinian-led programming.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.