California Congressman Ro Khanna says a visit to the occupied West Bank turned into a tense standoff after he and members of his delegation were stopped for more than an hour by armed Israeli settlers near the abandoned hamlet of Khirbet Zanuta.
According to Khanna, the group encountered settlers carrying U.S.-made M4 rifles who prevented them from moving freely through the area. He said the settlers contacted the Israel Defense Forces during the encounter and claimed the troops who arrived initially aligned themselves with the settlers. As the situation unfolded, a member of Khanna’s staff reached out to the U.S. Embassy for assistance while the delegation remained at the scene.
Khanna said the group was ultimately allowed to leave after officers with policing authority arrived and cleared the way for their vehicles to continue.
The Israeli military offered a different account of the incident, saying its troops responded by dispersing the settlers before allowing the delegation to proceed. Military officials also said the visit had not been coordinated in advance, which they noted as part of the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
The visit took place near Khirbet Zanuta, a West Bank community that residents say was abandoned after repeated pressure and attacks from settlers forced families to leave. The area has become a symbol in the broader debate over settlement expansion and the increasing tensions that have gripped the occupied West Bank.
Khanna, who has frequently criticized Israeli settlements in the territory and is widely viewed as a potential contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, said the experience offered him a deeply personal look at conditions on the ground. He described the confrontation as a firsthand glimpse into the realities of life under occupation and the human consequences of the escalating violence that has spread across the West Bank in recent months.
