US Lawmaker Slams Israeli Army After Settlers Detain Him on Palestine Trip

U.S. Representative Ro Khanna accused Israeli soldiers of supporting settlers who detained him and his tour group during a trip to Palestine. Khanna, a Democrat considering a 2028 presidential run, stated that Israeli forces "sided with the settlers and continued our detention."

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When the [Israeli army] arrived, they sided with the settlers and continued our detention.

Khanna described the encounter on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. He told Reuters on Thursday that "hoodlums... with machine guns" detained his group a day earlier near Khirbet Zanuta, a small Palestinian hamlet. "They block off the road. And then they call the [Israeli military] and the [Israeli military] is on their side," Khanna said. He noted the settlers were armed with U.S.-made assault rifles.

In an interview with DRM News, Khanna recounted feeling "acutely aware of being brown" during his experience in the occupied West Bank and Israel. He described "the arrogance in the eyes of those settlers. Twenty-one and 22-year-olds with guns, laughing that they had detained us. The arrogance of those young [Israeli army] soldiers that my tax dollars are funding. Having no respect for the fact that they were detaining Americans," he added.

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They block off the road. And then they call the [Israeli military] and the [Israeli military] is on their side.

Cameron Kasky, an aide to Khanna who was in the group, said they were held for over an hour and appealed to the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem for assistance. They were eventually released after officers intervened. The Israeli military stated that troops and police responded to a report of settlers blocking vehicles. The incident has renewed scrutiny on settler violence in the West Bank, which rights groups say has surged since Israel's war on Gaza began.

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I saw the arrogance in the eyes of those settlers. Twenty-one and 22-year-olds with guns, laughing that they had detained us. The arrogance of those young [Israeli army] soldiers that my tax dollars are funding. Having no respect for the fact that they were detaining Americans.