Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna stated Saturday that he was briefly detained by Israeli settlers and the military during a visit to a West Bank village earlier in the week. The incident occurred on Wednesday near the West Bank hamlet of Khirbet Zanuta, according to a social media post from the California congressman.
Khanna reported that settlers, "brandishing American made M4s," detained him and other Americans who were with him on a bus. In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Khanna elaborated that the settlers blocked the road before contacting the military. He claimed on social media that upon the arrival of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), they "sided with the settlers & continued our detention."
The IDF stated that troops were dispatched to the scene after receiving reports of Israeli civilians unlawfully blocking vehicles belonging to foreign nationals and media members. "The IDF soldiers operating in the area did not take part in blocking the road," the IDF said in a statement, adding that they dispersed the civilians and reopened the road. The military is reviewing the identity of the armed individual involved in the incident.
Khanna told Reuters that the IDF moved the vehicles blocking the roadway after speaking with the Israeli civilians. He further stated in his social media post that the IDF "made a big mistake" and indicated that further information would be forthcoming.