Armed Settlers Detain Congressional Delegation in West Bank for 90 Minutes

Washington Message

Washington – Said Arikat – 7/11/2026

US Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna revealed that armed Israeli settlers detained an American delegation visiting the southern occupied West Bank for approximately ninety minutes, an incident he described as directly embodying the reality of the occupation and the violence Palestinians face daily.

According to Khanna's tweet on "X" (formerly Twitter), a group of armed settlers with American-made M4 rifles intercepted the delegation while it was visiting the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta, south of Hebron. They prevented the bus carrying the delegation members from leaving the area until Israeli army and police forces arrived and intervened to end the incident.

The American congressman, who represents the Silicon Valley district in California and is seen as one of the Democratic figures who might contend for the 2028 presidential elections, was visiting the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, a small Palestinian Bedouin community whose residents were forced to leave after escalating settler attacks, before their homes were demolished.

Khanna recounted to "Reuters" that a car carrying several armed settlers arrived suddenly and blocked the narrow road leading out of the village, before other settlers joined them in a second vehicle. The group began to hurl insults at the delegation members in both Hebrew and Arabic, and also kicked the bus tires and surrounded it, a scene documented by photos and videos taken by delegation members, in addition to a photojournalist who was accompanying the visit in another vehicle.

Khanna said that when two Israeli military vehicles arrived, he initially thought the soldiers had come to secure the delegation's passage and end the detention. However, he was surprised, according to his account, that the soldiers stood talking to the settlers and smoking cigarettes with them, before later, after the settlers left, blocking the road again with one of the military vehicles.

He added that the delegation was only able to continue its journey after contacts were made with the US Embassy in Jerusalem and the Israeli police, noting that his aide, Cameron Caskey, requested urgent intervention from the embassy during the ongoing detention.

Khanna said: "I felt completely helpless at that moment, despite my privileges as a US Congressman. If settlers can make a Congressman feel helpless for ninety minutes, imagine what Palestinians experience under occupation every day."

He stressed that this incident was the most frightening moment during his three-day visit to the West Bank, adding that he now feels a greater responsibility to convey the suffering of Palestinians to the American public.

He said: "I believe I have a special responsibility to speak about the injustice Palestinians face, and I will travel across the United States, whether I decide to run for president or not, to tell what I witnessed firsthand in the West Bank, and to convey the story of Palestinians as it is."

For its part, the Israeli occupation security forces stated that they received reports of civilians blocking a road, and that police and army personnel intervened to disperse them and reopen the road, allowing the American delegation to complete its visit.

This incident reveals the expansion of settler violence in the West Bank to a level that is no longer limited to Palestinians alone, but now also affects foreign officials who enjoy political and diplomatic immunity. The detention of a US Congressman for nearly an hour and a half represents a remarkable political precedent and raises questions about the Israeli authorities' ability to enforce the law on settlers, or their willingness to do so. It also provides critics within the United States with new evidence that the lawlessness in the West Bank has become an issue difficult to ignore even by Israel's closest allies.

The incident has an internal political dimension in the United States, as it comes at a time when divisions within the Democratic Party are increasing regarding unconditional support for Israel. A growing number of Congress members are calling for a review of US policy towards the occupation and settlements, and linking military aid to respect for international law and human rights. A personal experience lived by a prominent representative like Ro Khanna would lend greater credibility to calls for a reassessment of the nature of the US-Israeli relationship, especially since his testimony is based on direct field experience, not on reports or secondhand accounts.

The incident also raises broader questions about the implications of continued settlement on Israel's international image and its relations with its Western allies. The more incidents of settler violence increase, and accusations of authorities' inability to deter them recur, the greater the political, legal, and diplomatic pressure on the Israeli government. At the same time, such incidents give greater momentum to international efforts demanding the protection of Palestinian civilians, and may lead to growing calls within the United States and Europe to review the mechanisms for using military aid, and to ensure that it is not employed in a manner that contradicts the legal and humanitarian obligations declared by donor countries.