The Ro Khanna Incident Fits a Bigger Democratic Shift on Israel
David Manney | 7:00 PM on July 11, 2026
Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat with presidential ambitions, says armed Israeli settlers blocked his delegation into the West Bank for more than an hour. Israeli soldiers arrived, but Khanna says they initially sided with the settlers instead of clearing the road.
His group eventually left after contacting the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and Israeli police. The Israel Defense Force disputes part of Khanna's account, saying troops dispersed the settlers and never detained the delegation. From the Associated Press:
U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna said Saturday that he was detained by settlers and the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank and released only after calls to the American Embassy in Jerusalem. The Israeli Defense Forces denied detaining any visitors in the incident, the latest example of escalating political tensions involving Israel and its ally’s Democratic Party.
A representative for Khanna, a California Democrat who is an outspoken progressive, said the confrontation occurred Wednesday in the middle of a three-day tour of the West Bank. As the congressman visited a Palestinian village that had been abandoned after settler attacks, masked men with guns stopped his group and refused to let them leave.
The New York Times said the incident was witnessed by one of its photographers. Khanna’s office said it occurred in the town of Khirbet Zanuta.
You can always depend on the reliability of the New York Times, right?
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