Israeli officials are pushing back hard after Representative Ro Khanna said armed settlers held his delegation in the West Bank for more than an hour.
Quick Take
- Khanna said armed settlers blocked his van near Khirbet Zanuta and kept his group there for over an hour.
- The Israeli Defense Forces said its troops did not block the road and instead cleared civilians from the scene.
- Khanna and an aide said they appealed to the United States Embassy in Jerusalem before being released.
- The report has turned into a public fight over what happened, who intervened, and whether Khanna’s account holds up.
Khanna’s Account of the West Bank Stop
Khanna told Reuters that settlers armed with M4 rifles surrounded his group in Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank. He said the men blocked the road, detained the delegation, and later mocked the fact that an American congressman was present. Khanna also said the group was held for more than an hour before help came from Israeli authorities and the United States Embassy.
An aide in the group, Cameron Kasky, backed up the basic detention timeline and said the delegation asked the embassy for help. Kasky said officers who appeared to be police eventually intervened and led the group away. Khanna also posted images and video on social media, which he said showed part of the confrontation and the moment Israeli forces arrived.
Israeli Military Denial and Fast Response Claim
The Israeli Defense Forces gave a different version and denied that its soldiers helped block the road. According to the military, troops were sent after reports that civilians were blocking foreign nationals and media, and they cleared the area quickly. The statement also said the soldiers in the area did not take part in the blockade, which directly clashes with Khanna’s claim that the military sided with the settlers.
That split matters because the entire dispute now rests on two sharply different stories. Khanna says the road was blocked, the group was detained, and outside help was needed to secure release. The Israeli military says its forces arrived, dispersed the civilians, and reopened the road without joining the blockade. At press time, the Israel Police had not immediately commented, and the United States Embassy in Jerusalem also had not publicly confirmed the embassy appeal.
Why the Fight Is Growing Beyond One Incident
This episode lands in a larger pattern that many Americans have seen before. U.S. lawmakers who visit the West Bank often report clashes with settlers, while Israeli security officials quickly reject claims of collusion. That makes this case more than a local roadblock. It has become a test of credibility, especially because Khanna’s own words, the military’s denial, and the lack of public embassy confirmation all pull in different directions.
From Albert Aron, the truth about @RoKhanna
I received a lot of questions about the Ro Khanna incident and I want to provide an update with additional information that came out today. People also asked me for sources so I will try to be more deliberate with my sourcing for this…
— Steve (@SVH2) July 13, 2026
There is also a separate problem for Khanna’s story: the weapon detail shifted in public posts from M4 to M14. That inconsistency gives critics an easy way to question the rest of his account, even if the core encounter did happen. For readers who care about plain facts and accountability, the bigger issue is simple. The public still does not have full footage, a police report, or an embassy record to settle the dispute cleanly.