US Congressman Ro Khanna has said he was detained by armed Israeli settlers while visiting the occupied West Bank, describing the incident as a stark example of the conditions faced by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.

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The California Democrat told Reuters that the incident occurred on Wednesday during a visit to a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank that has experienced repeated attacks by Israeli settlers.

Khanna said his delegation had been inspecting a village where buildings, including a school, had been destroyed when settlers carrying US-made M4 rifles surrounded their vehicle and blocked the road.

Khanna Criticises Israeli Forces

According to Khanna, the settlers prevented the group from leaving before contacting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

"And these hoodlums ... detain us. They block off the road. And then they call the IDF and the IDF is on their side, not on the side of the Americans," Khanna told Reuters.

He said the settlers and Israeli soldiers showed little concern that US citizens, including a member of Congress, were being held.

Khanna said the experience highlighted what he described as "the arrogance of power" and a culture created by a lack of accountability.

His aide, Cameron Kasky, also said on X that he witnessed the incident, writing that Israeli forces "showed up to back up the settlers, not the US congressman."

Khanna later told The New York Times that the group remained detained for about 90 minutes before being able to continue after contacting the US Embassy and Israeli police. He said the experience left him feeling powerless and offered insight into what many Palestinians endure under occupation.

Israeli Military Response

The Israeli military said troops and police responded after receiving reports that settlers were obstructing vehicles near the Palestinian hamlet of Khirbet Zanuta.

The village's residents were forced to leave following violent settler attacks after the Hamas assault on Israel in October 2023.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The United Nations considers the settlements illegal under international law, although Israel disputes that position. Israel has also faced repeated international criticism over settler violence in the territory.

Political Remarks

Asked whether he plans to seek the US presidency, Khanna told Reuters he was "strongly considering it" and said the events during his trip had strengthened that resolve.

Khanna has been among the most outspoken Democratic critics of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank. He has also argued that US support for Israel's actions contributed to the Democratic Party's defeat in the 2024 presidential election.

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12 July 2026

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Israel is out of control. They can't even keep the population in check. Should dissolve the whole state.

More settler issues:

Israeli settlers attack journalists, including CNN, on the anniversary of deadly West Bank beating

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/11/middleeast/settlers-arrested-attack-on-journalists-intl

Four settlers were arrested after an attack on CNN and other journalists in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to Israeli Police.

The journalists were near the village of Sinjil north of Ramallah to cover the one-year anniversary of the killing of Saif Musallet, a Palestinian-American who was beaten to death by Jewish settlers, last July.

Within minutes of arriving at the location where Musallet was killed, Israeli settlers descended on the area. As the CNN team and other journalists tried to leave, a group of four settlers blocked the road with their car and tried to keep the vehicles from moving forward.

The four settlers were wielding wooden and metal rods and stones. One settler brandished a knife and tried to puncture the tires of CNN’s vehicle.

Edited July 11Jul 11 by gargamon

He should be carrying the Israel's flag and wearing the little Jewish hat.

6 hours ago, gargamon said:

Four settlers were arrested after an attack on CNN and other journalists in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to Israeli Police.

Any updates? I think they have been released.

29 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Any updates? I think they have been released.

Probably, and given a seat in government.

The Middle East's only "democracy" but not its only theocrazy. Remove those 700k colonists back where they belong.

"Settlers" in a place settled for millennia! More accurately described as thieves and thugs. Israel allows them to carry military weapons?!? WTF!

Are there McDonald's in Israel? Ol boy Mossi looks like he's been pounding some Big Macs.

Trump + Kushner = taking hook line and sinker Israel's want for an attack on Iran. Israel then can justify going into Lebanon as they are going after Iranian proxies, when actually it's a land grab.

Obviously Khanna is worshipping the wrong God, since there's only one*

Or three**

Or more***

Or false prophets****

WHOS COUNTING 😄

*Jewish God 1.0

**Jewish God 2.0 AKA Christian

***Jewish God 3.0 AKA Muslim

****Mormons, MAGA

2 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Obviously Khanna is worshipping the wrong God, since there's only one*

Or three**

Or more***

Or false prophets

Or none?

Buddhists generally do not believe in an all-powerful, omniscient creator God.

Furthermore, between 200 million and 500 million people worldwide self-identify as atheists.

And what was your mission in West Bank Mr senator ?

He contrived to get himself detained. All rather obvious and pathetic.

Edited July 13Jul 13 by Thingamabob

Israel is completely out of control, and no doubt they saw a dark-skinned man and said he cannot be legitimate. The more bad press Israel gets at this point the better for humanity, as they have become the new terrorist state in the Middle East.

13 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Israel is completely out of control, and no doubt they saw a dark-skinned man and said he cannot be legitimate. The more bad press Israel gets at this point the better for humanity, as they have become the new terrorist state in the Middle East.

GeographicReference

I totally disagree. For what it is worth I fully support Israel's response to the disgusting attack on it's people of the 7th of October 2023.

8 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

I totally disagree. For what it is worth I fully support Israel's response to the disgusting attack on it's people of the 7th of October 2023.

so killing 70,000 plus people in response to an attack that killed under 2,000 is fully justified? And turned all of Gaza into a concentration camp where people are killed by the IDF on a daily basis. Disgusting.

70,000 plus people ? Not so.

11 hours ago, rickudon said:

so killing 70,000 plus people in response to an attack that killed under 2,000 is fully justified? And turned all of Gaza into a concentration camp where people are killed by the IDF on a daily basis. Disgusting.

It's quite surprising how so many people support Israel's actions, they seem to have no conscience about it and they don't seem to lose a wink of sleep over all that slaughter of women and children. There is ample evidence that Israel supports the total annihilation of the Palestinian people, and that that is their ultimate goal.

The settlers and the ultra Zionists have made that their stated aim, and the government seems to bow down to their every wish.

21 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Or none?

Buddhists generally do not believe in an all-powerful, omniscient creator God.

Furthermore, between 200 million and 500 million people worldwide self-identify as atheists.

Of course, "None of the above is highly probable" is the correct mathematical answer.

Also left out Spinoza's God which is a quantum physics level theory of everything.

On 7/13/2026 at 7:36 PM, spidermike007 said:

It's quite surprising how so many people support Israel's actions, they seem to have no conscience about it and they don't seem to lose a wink of sleep over all that slaughter of women and children. There is ample evidence that Israel supports the total annihilation of the Palestinian people, and that that is their ultimate goal.

The settlers and the ultra Zionists have made that their stated aim, and the government seems to bow down to their every wish.

Epstein and Blackmail. Israel has total control of the cyber world. It has been going on for a very long time.

1 hour ago, GoodieAfterDark said:

Epstein and Blackmail. Israel has total control of the cyber world. It has been going on for a very long time.

Not just rhe cyber world. They own the US political system. Just one small example.

Excerpt From

Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians

Noam Chomsky

“The pro-Israel lobby worked uninterrupted until 1963 when the famous senator, William Fulbright, became intrigued by its activities and demanded a congressional investigation of its financial sources. The three hundred pages produced by the investigating body revealed that, over four years, the lobby had raised $5 million, exempted from tax, from the Jewish community in the United States. This was done by the purchase of bonds clandestinely made over to the State of Israel. American law forbade lobbying for the interests of a foreign country. In order to overcome the legal prohibition, it was stated that the bonds were procured only for welfare purposes in Israel. However, the investigating committee found that none of the money was ever delivered to the deprived citizens of Israel. The money went to the Israeli state and, from there, immediately back to the United States—directly into AIPAC’s account. In Newsweek (August 12, 1963), it was written that the investigation exposed the AIPAC lobby as “one of the most effective networks of foreign influence.”

Fulbright became the pro-Israel lobby’s greatest enemy and had to be deposed by all means possible. The campaign against him became an AIPAC model. Everything was done to ensure that he would not be reelected. Anyone standing against him was financed and supported. From that time to this, the road to the Capitol has been scattered with candidates from the elite of American politics whose careers have been similarly torpedoed by AIPAC. In this manner, AIPAC impacted on Congress policy with such successful results that very few have since dared to follow in Fulbright’s footsteps.

On 7/15/2026 at 9:51 AM, spidermike007 said:

Not just rhe cyber world. They own the US political system. Just one small example.

Excerpt From

Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians

Noam Chomsky

“The pro-Israel lobby worked uninterrupted until 1963 when the famous senator, William Fulbright, became intrigued by its activities and demanded a congressional investigation of its financial sources. The three hundred pages produced by the investigating body revealed that, over four years, the lobby had raised $5 million, exempted from tax, from the Jewish community in the United States. This was done by the purchase of bonds clandestinely made over to the State of Israel. American law forbade lobbying for the interests of a foreign country. In order to overcome the legal prohibition, it was stated that the bonds were procured only for welfare purposes in Israel. However, the investigating committee found that none of the money was ever delivered to the deprived citizens of Israel. The money went to the Israeli state and, from there, immediately back to the United States—directly into AIPAC’s account. In Newsweek (August 12, 1963), it was written that the investigation exposed the AIPAC lobby as “one of the most effective networks of foreign influence.”

Fulbright became the pro-Israel lobby’s greatest enemy and had to be deposed by all means possible. The campaign against him became an AIPAC model. Everything was done to ensure that he would not be reelected. Anyone standing against him was financed and supported. From that time to this, the road to the Capitol has been scattered with candidates from the elite of American politics whose careers have been similarly torpedoed by AIPAC. In this manner, AIPAC impacted on Congress policy with such successful results that very few have since dared to follow in Fulbright’s footsteps.

Good luck USA!