A visit to the occupied West Bank by Congressman Ro Khanna sparked global attention after the Indian-American Democrat alleged that he and his team were briefly detained by armed Israeli settlers while inspecting a Palestinian village.
The California congressman claimed settlers carrying US-made M4 rifles blocked his vehicle for more than an hour before Israeli security personnel arrived. Here's everything to know about Congressman Ro Khanna and the alleged detention.
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Who is Congressman Ro Khanna?
Ro Khanna is an Indian-American politician serving as the US Representative for California's 17th Congressional District. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented Silicon Valley in Congress since January 2017.
Born on September 13, 1976, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Khanna graduated from Council Rock High School before earning an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago in 1998. He later received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Yale Law School in 2001.
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Before entering Congress, Khanna worked as a lawyer, professor and author. He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Commerce from 2009 to 2011 and was a member of the California Workforce Development Board between 2012 and 2016.
Although he made unsuccessful congressional bids in 2004 and 2014, he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2016 and has since won multiple re-election campaigns.
Known for advocating technology policy, economic reforms and progressive causes, Khanna has become one of the most recognizable Indian-American voices in Washington.
Ro Khanna says he is considering a 2028 presidential run
During the visit, Khanna also revealed that he is seriously weighing a bid for the 2028 US presidential election.
"I'm strongly considering it and I'm more resolved to consider it after this trip," he said.
Although no official campaign has been announced, Khanna has increasingly been mentioned among Democrats viewed as potential contenders for the White House after the current political cycle.
Was Congressman Ro Khanna detained in the West Bank?
According to Ro Khanna, the incident occurred on Wednesday while he was visiting Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet in the occupied West Bank that has experienced repeated settler attacks and displacement.
Khanna said his delegation had gone to inspect a village and school that had allegedly been destroyed when armed Israeli settlers surrounded their vehicle and blocked the road.
"We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed, they had destroyed the school, they had destroyed that village, and we were just looking at it," Khanna told Reuters.
He further alleged that the settlers were carrying American-made rifles.
"And these hoodlums come in with machine guns – M4, an American-made machine gun – and they detain us. They block off the road. And then they call the IDF and the IDF is on their side, not on the side of the Americans," he said.
Khanna's aide, Cameron Kasky, said the group remained blocked for more than an hour and even contacted the US Embassy in Jerusalem before Israeli security personnel intervened.
What has Israel said about the incident?
The Israeli military acknowledged receiving reports that Israeli civilians had blocked vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta.
According to the military, troops and police officers dispersed the settlers and allowed the vehicles to continue their journey. However, it did not directly respond to Khanna's allegation that security forces sided with the settlers during the confrontation.
Israel has also consistently rejected accusations that it is committing genocide in Gaza or operating an apartheid system in the West Bank.
Why was Ro Khanna visiting the West Bank?
Khanna said he intentionally skipped official Israeli government meetings and instead chose a Palestinian-led itinerary to better understand conditions in the occupied territories.
The visit, he said, gave him an "unfiltered understanding" of life under occupation and strengthened his political convictions.
"If you're unwilling to speak up for Palestinian human rights, if you're unwilling to speak up against the genocide in Gaza, the apartheid in the West Bank, then you are morally compromised," he said.
His comments reflect a growing divide within the Democratic Party over continued US military support for Israel.
While some lawmakers continue backing Washington's longstanding alliance with Israel, others have called for conditions or restrictions on military assistance, particularly regarding weapons supplied during the Gaza conflict.
