US Democratic Representative Ro Khanna has alleged that he and his tour group were detained by rifle-wielding Israeli settlers during a visit to Palestine, accusing the Israeli military of siding with the settlers.
In a post on X on Saturday, Khanna wrote: "When the Israeli army arrived, they sided with the settlers and continued our detention," promising to release more details soon. The incident has reignited focus on settler violence in the occupied West Bank, which has surged since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza nearly three years ago.
Human rights groups claim settlers have been emboldened by the Israeli government, while Amnesty International has accused Israel of a state-backed campaign of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. Last month, several Western countries sanctioned networks linked to settler violence.
Khanna, who is considering a 2028 presidential run, warned that the Israelis had made a "huge mistake." He told Reuters that "hoodlums with machine guns" detained his group a day earlier. "They block off the road. And then they call the Israeli military and the Israeli military is on their side," Khanna said, adding that the settlers were armed with US-made assault rifles.
In an interview with DRM News, Khanna said his experience in the occupied West Bank and Israel was the "first time" he had "really been acutely aware of being brown." He described the "arrogance" of young settlers and Israeli soldiers funded by US taxpayers, showing no respect for detaining Americans.
Cameron Kasky, an aide to Khanna, said the group was held for over an hour and appealed to the US embassy in Jerusalem for help. They were released after officers, reportedly police, intervened. The Israeli military said troops and police responded to a report of settlers blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet whose residents were forcibly displaced by settler raids.
Israel, long enjoying bipartisan US support, has faced increased scrutiny, with both Republicans and Democrats calling for an end to US military aid. Congress is reviewing new military spending legislation that would deepen US-Israel defense ties. Republican Thomas Massie and Khanna have been pushing to end military aid to Israel.
Source: www.aljazeera.com