U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) speaks with Palestinian residents of Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, during a visit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 9, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, a 2028 U.S. Presidential aspirant, on Saturday (July 11, 2026) said he was detained by gun-wielding Israeli settlers while on a visit to Palestine.
Mr. Khanna, a Democrat from California, was visiting on Wednesday (July 8, 2026) the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, a Bedouin village in the southern West Bank that was abandoned after attacks from Israeli settlers when the incident took place.
A handout image shows Israeli settlers blocking the convoy of U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA), his press team says, in Khirbet Zanuta, during a visit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 8, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
“Israeli settlers, brandishing American-made M4S, detained me and other Americans on my trip to Palestine. When the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) arrived, they sided with the settlers and continued our detention. They made a huge mistake,” Mr. Khanna said in a post on X.
Mr. Khanna’s experience was reported by a photographer of The New York Times, who was accompanying the Congressman.
“I felt powerless in that situation, which is not an easy thing, as I have a lot of privilege in life,” the New York Times quoted Mr. Khanna as saying.
The report said Mr. Khanna was eventually allowed to continue his journey after calls to the U.S. embassy and Israeli police.
“Imagine how people feel every day, Palestinians under the occupation, if they could make an American congressperson feel powerless for 90 minutes,” Mr. Khanna said.
U.S. politicians – Democrats and Republicans alike – have been visiting the West Bank from time to time since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas started a war in the region.
Republican Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, and Democrats Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley visited the region last year. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is also on a visit to Israel.
Mr. Emanuel, who briefly served as the White House Chief of Staff during President Barack Obama’s tenure, is also considered a presidential aspirant.
Published – July 11, 2026 11:24 pm IST
