Gaza Genocide11 July, 20262 min read
Israeli Settlers Detain U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna Near Khirbet Zanuta in Occupied West Bank
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Khanna detained for about an hour by armed Israeli settlers near Khirbet Zanuta, West Bank. Khanna says the IDF lied about the detention and alleges soldiers participated.
Khanna detained in West Bank
Armed Israeli settlers detained U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna during a visit to the occupied West Bank, with Khanna saying his delegation was surrounded by settlers carrying U.S.-made M4 rifles and that “they detain us.”
Khanna described the setting as a village destroyed by settlers, saying “They had destroyed the school. They had destroyed that village,” as the confrontation unfolded near Khirbet Zanuta in the southern occupied West Bank.
Democracy Now! reported that on Wednesday settlers surrounded a van carrying Khanna for about 90 minutes, and that in a separate incident on Saturday settlers armed with clubs, rocks and a knife attacked a group of journalists including CNN’s Jeremy Diamond.
NBC Bay Area said Khanna and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, with Netanyahu responding that “We're a country of laws, and people who break the law, we take them to court.”
IDF denies; Khanna says lying
Khanna accused the Israeli government and military of “lying” about the detention, telling NBC News’ Meet the Press, “The IDF is lying,” and describing how “They had violent settlers detain American citizens.” In the same NBC Bay Area account, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the settlers were “delinquents,” while the Israeli Defense Forces said troops were dispatched quickly, dispersed Israeli civilians and reopened the blocked road.
Khanna disputed the IDF account on Meet the Press, saying “The IDF is lying what happened was unprecedented they had violent settlers detain American citizens,” and he said the settlers were brandishing M4s and that his delegation was detained for about 20 minutes. The Guardian added that Khanna told Meet the Press, “They further detain us and block us in,” and that he called for an investigation into “these four IDF officers.”
Political stakes and Gaza debate
The incident fed into broader U.S. political debate, with Khanna telling Reuters during his visit to Turmus Ayya that the experience reinforced his thinking about “the genocide in Gaza” and “the apartheid in the West Bank.” Palestine Chronicle reported that Khanna said, “If you’re unwilling to speak up for Palestinian human rights, if you’re unwilling to speak up against the genocide in Gaza,” then “you are morally compromised.”
The Guardian reported that Israel’s US-born ambassador Michael Leiter accused Khanna of making the trip as a political stunt, saying “To have this incident on Wednesday and wait to release it on Saturday, maybe this had more something to do with his support of Graham Platner.” In the same Guardian account, Leiter also said Khanna shunned Israeli government planning and worked with dissident groups like Breaking the Silence, and Khanna responded on social media that “The Israeli government is lying to cover up for 4 IDF soldiers who aided violent settlers.”