Rep. Ro Khanna Says Armed Israeli Settlers Detained Him in West Bank

The California Democrat said the encounter continued after Israeli soldiers arrived, during a congressional trip to Palestine.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he was detained for more than an hour in the West Bank earlier this week by Israeli settlers, an ordeal that continued even after Israeli Defense Forces soldiers arrived at the scene, he said Saturday.

"Israeli settlers, brandishing American made M4s, detained me & other Americans on my trip to Palestine," Khanna said, according to The Hill.

The congressman was part of a delegation traveling in the West Bank when the confrontation occurred. He said the settlers involved carried American-made rifles, and that the standoff did not end once IDF soldiers reached the scene, according to The Hill's account of his statement.

Khanna also spoke publicly about the episode, telling Al Jazeera he had been harassed by Israeli settlers during the trip. His account adds a prominent voice — a sitting member of Congress — to long-running disputes over settler conduct in the occupied West Bank, an issue that has drawn international scrutiny for years.

Neither Israeli authorities nor the settlers involved were quoted responding to Khanna's account in the available reporting.

— Compiled from reporting by The Hill and Al Jazeera.