US Congressman Ro Khanna was detained for over an hour by armed Israeli settlers supported by IDF soldiers, while visiting the Palestinian hamlet of Khirbet Zanuta in the southern West Bank on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
The California Democrat reported that settlers brandishing American-made M4 rifles surrounded his group's vehicle, blocked the road, and refused to let them leave after they inspected a village and school destroyed by previous settler attacks.
Khanna said that when four IDF soldiers arrived, they sided with the settlers and continued the detention until intervention by the US Embassy and high-level Israeli officials secured their release.
"Israeli settlers, brandishing American made M4s, detained me & other Americans on my trip to Palestine," Ro Khanna wrote on X Saturday. "When the IDF arrived, they sided with the settlers & continued our detention. They made a huge mistake. You will be hearing more soon."
The IDF in a statement claimed its troops did not take part in blocking the road and instead dispersed the civilians to reopen the route upon receiving a report.
"The Israeli government is lying to cover up for 4 IDF soldiers who aided violent settlers brandishing M4 guns and threatening American lives," Ro Khanna wrote on X, responding to IDF statement. "I am calling for their arrest and prosecution. I have met with Israeli hostages and condemned the brutal, terrorist attacks of Oct 7. That does excuse the IDF from detaining American citizens."
The incident has intensified scrutiny on settler violence and US military aid, with Khanna calling for the prosecution of both the settlers and the involved soldiers.
This event occurs amid rising tensions within the Democrat Party over the Israel-Palestine conflict, influencing Khanna's potential 2028 presidential campaign as he advocates for a "new moral direction" regarding human rights in the region.
Popular American journalist Tucker Carlson slammed Mike Huckabee, affter the U.S. Ambassador to Israel posted on X about his coming appearance on Fox News to talk about Iran, instead of addressing the Khanna incident.
"An Amercian member of congress is threatened by foreign terrorists carrying American rifles, backed by a foreign military paid for by American taxpayers, and the US ambassador to that country says not a word in defense of his own countryman, and instead uses his social media accounts to promote his own vapid cable news appearances, which amount to propaganda for that same foreign country," Carlson wrote on X, Saturday. "It’s too much, too insulting and humiliating to America. This is how revolutions start. For the sake our nation, Mike Huckabee should be removed from his post immediately"
