Ro Khanna claims armed Israeli settlers detained him in West Bank
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California Rep. Ro Khanna claims he was detained by Israeli settlers armed with U.S.-made firearms while visiting the West Bank.
His office said Khanna and his team were surrounded by a group of West Bank settlers near the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta on Wednesday. New York Times. Khanna’s office said the settlers were armed with American-made M4 machine guns.
When soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces arrived, Khanna claimed that they were siding with the settlers. According to the Democrat’s office, the situation only calmed down when Israeli police officers arrived and dispersed the settlers and their vehicles, blocking the path of the US congressional caucus.
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Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, speaks with a Palestinian living in Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, during a visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on July 9, 2026. (REUTERS/Ammar Awad)
The Times first reported details of the alleged incident on Saturday.
Reached by Fox News Digital, a representative from Khanna’s team said he could confirm the details reported by the Times without further comment. Khanna also spoke to Reuters about the events that allegedly occurred.
“I’m probably the first American politician to be detained by the IDF and Israeli settlers,” Khanna said in a Reuters video.
“We were in a village destroyed by Israeli settlers,” Khanna said. “And these goons come with machine guns, an M4, an American-made machine gun, and they detain us. They block the road, then they call the IDF, and the IDF is on their side, not the Americans’ side.”
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Reo. Ro Khanna, D-California, speaks to a Palestinian resident of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah during a visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on July 9, 2026. (REUTERS/Ammar Awad)
Khanna, a frequent critic of Israel and a potential Democratic Party presidential candidate in 2028, claimed that the incident reshaped his thinking about a potential run for the White House.
Regarding a potential US presidential run, he told Reuters on camera: “I’m definitely considering it, and I’m more determined to consider it after this trip. We need a new moral direction in our party. We need a new moral vision that respects the dignity and human rights of people all over the world.”
“No American would support this if they knew the details of what was going on here,” Khanna told the Times.
The Israeli military told Reuters that soldiers and police officers intervened after receiving a report that settlers were blocking vehicles near the village of Khirbet Zanuta.
An Israeli soldier is seen during a protest in the West Bank town of Beita on July 26, 2024. (Wahaj Bani Moufleh/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Upon arrival, soldiers dispersed Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way,” the army told Reuters.
Fox News Digital has also reached out to the IDF for more information.
