Rep. Ro Khanna Says Israeli Settlers Detained Him During West Bank Visit

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Reuters, U.S. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said he was briefly detained by Israeli settlers during a visit to the occupied West Bank this week, and his vehicle was only able to continue after Israeli forces arrived. Khanna told Reuters in a Palestinian village on Thursday, July 9, that his group’s van was surrounded a day earlier in the southern West Bank by settlers carrying M4 rifles, which he said were U.S.-made, and that the settlers blocked the road. An aide, Kasky, said they were held for more than an hour and sought help from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem before people who appeared to be police intervened and they were released. The Israel Defense Forces said troops and police intervened after settlers blocked vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta and dispersed Israeli civilians, allowing the vehicles to pass.