US congressman Ro Khanna says he was detained for 90 minutes by armed Israeli settlers during a visit to the occupied West Bank. Khanna, 49, had been in a van with his team when they were surrounded by settlers wielding M4 rifles on Wednesday, he told Reuters news agency. Writing on X, Khanna said that when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrived, "they sided with the settlers and continued our detention". The BBC has reached out to the IDF for comment. The Israeli military said in a statement troops and police officers took action after getting a report settlers had blocked vehicles in the area. "Upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way," the IDF said. Khanna was visiting the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, on a fact-finding visit to look at the impact of Israeli occupation of the area.
Published: July 11, 2026 6:00 pm
Source: BBC — Read original