The Democrat said that settlers carrying American-made M4 rifles intercepted his group’s vehicle during a visit to the occupied West Bank (archive photo)
A US Democratic lawmaker has claimed that Israeli settlers armed with US-made rifles briefly arrested him during a visit to the occupied West Bank.California State Representative Ro Khanna said the incident occurred on Wednesday while he was touring the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanota, where residents had previously been displaced after repeated settler attacks.According to Khanna, the group traveled to inspect a village and a school that were destroyed when armed settlers surrounded their car and blocked the road. “We were in a village that was destroyed by Israeli settlers, they destroyed the school, they destroyed that village, and we were just looking at it,” Khanna told Reuters.“And these criminals come with automatic rifles – the M4, which is an American-made machine gun – and arrest us.
They are blocking the road. Then they contact the Israeli army and the Israeli army is on their side, not on the side of the Americans,” he said, referring to the Israeli army.Cameron Caskey, an aide accompanying Khanna, said the group remained hidden for more than an hour and requested assistance from the US Embassy in Jerusalem before Israeli security personnel intervened. The incident has intensified scrutiny of settler violence and the continued use of US military aid in the region.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army confirmed that it had received reports of Israeli civilians obstructing vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta. She said that the troops and police officers dispersed the settlers and allowed the vehicles to continue moving, but did not comment on Khanna’s allegations about the behavior of the security forces.The incident occurred during Khanna’s visit to the West Bank, where he said he deliberately avoided official Israeli engagements in favor of a Palestinian-led itinerary to gain what he described as an absolute understanding of conditions under Israeli occupation.The Indian-American Congressman, who is considering a run for the US presidential election in 2028, said the trip strengthened his resolve. “I’m thinking about it very much and I’m even more determined to look into it after this trip,” he said.Khanna also argued that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become a defining moral issue for the Democratic Party. “If you are unwilling to speak out for Palestinian human rights, if you are unwilling to speak out against genocide in Gaza, apartheid in the West Bank, then you are morally vulnerable,” he said.Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations that it is committing “genocide” in Gaza or running an apartheid regime in the West Bank.Khanna’s statements come as divisions continue within the Democratic Party over US support for Israel ahead of the midterm elections in November. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, Israel’s support rating among Democratic voters fell from 59% in 2018 to 22% in May.The debate has increasingly focused on the US’s $3.8 billion annual military aid package, with a growing number of Democratic lawmakers calling for restrictions on military aid, including funding for weapons supplied to Israel.
