U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, a progressive California Democrat, says he was stopped and held against his will by armed settlers and Israeli military personnel during a visit to the occupied West Bank — and was only freed after his team reached out to the American Embassy in Jerusalem. The Israeli Defense Forces pushed back on that characterization, saying their troops did not detain anyone during the incident.
A spokesperson for Khanna said the confrontation took place on Wednesday, midway through a three-day trip through the West Bank. While the congressman was visiting a Palestinian village that had been abandoned following settler attacks, a group of masked, armed men surrounded his party and refused to let them leave.
The New York Times reported that one of its photographers witnessed the incident firsthand. Khanna’s office identified the location as the town of Khirbet Zanuta.
According to Khanna, when Israeli soldiers showed up, he was troubled to see them behaving in a friendly way toward the men who had stopped his group — and then joining in blocking the exit. It wasn’t until both the U.S. Embassy and Israeli police were contacted that his group was permitted to continue on their way.
“If this can happen to an American member of Congress, imagine what life is like for Palestinians who have no smartphones, no security, and no national platform,” Khanna wrote in a fundraising email sent out shortly after he posted about the incident Saturday. Khanna is said to be exploring a run for president in 2028.
In its official response, the IDF said it had received a report of Israeli civilians blocking foreign nationals and members of the media in Khirbet Zanuta. “Upon receiving the report, IDF troops were dispatched to the scene, quickly dispersed the Israeli civilians, and reopened the blocked road,” the military stated. “The IDF soldiers operating in the area did not take part in blocking the road.”
The episode comes amid growing friction between U.S. Democratic politicians and Israel, as the party’s voters have increasingly turned against the country. This past week, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel — whose father was born in Jerusalem and served in Israel’s war of independence — delivered a pointed speech in Tel Aviv calling Israel a “territorial pariah.” Emanuel is also considered a potential presidential contender.
A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that roughly 58% of Democrats feel the United States is “too supportive” of Israelis.
In a separate incident also on Saturday, the Israeli military announced it had detained four individuals who attacked foreign journalists traveling to Sinjil, another West Bank community. The military said the attackers blocked and damaged the journalists’ vehicle and were carrying clubs and knives.
CNN reported that one of its crews was among the journalists targeted in that attack. The network said its team had traveled to the area to cover the one-year anniversary of the death of a Palestinian-American man who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers.
