American legislator claims he was held by armed Israeli civilians in the West Bank

Ro Khanna, a prominent Democratic US lawmaker from California, revealed on Saturday that he was "detained" by armed Israeli settlers, along with other Americans, during a visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and further alleged that the military was complicit in the incident.

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The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) promptly denied Khanna's claim, stating to AFP that they were not involved in blocking his path on Wednesday.

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Khanna took to X to share his experience, posting that "Israeli settlers, brandishing American made M4s, detained me & other Americans on my trip to Palestine," and that upon the arrival of the Israeli military, "they sided with the settlers & continued our detention.

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Footage and accounts provided to The New York Times by Khanna and his team depicted a group of armed men blocking the road outside a small village in the southern West Bank, swearing at them in Hebrew and Arabic.

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According to Khanna, when the IDF arrived at the scene, the soldiers spoke to the settlers and subsequently blocked the road themselves when the settlers left, an incident that Khanna described as "a huge mistake."

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Khanna reflected on the experience, telling the Times, "Imagine how people feel every day, Palestinians under the occupation, if they could make an American congressperson feel powerless for 90 minutes."

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Following calls to the US embassy and Israeli police, Khanna, who represents a district in Silicon Valley, was eventually allowed to pass.

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The Israeli military issued a statement to AFP, claiming that upon receiving a report of Israeli civilians "unlawfully blocking the vehicles of foreign nationals and members of the media in the area of Khirbet Zanuta," IDF troops were dispatched to the scene.

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The IDF statement further claimed that the troops "quickly dispersed the Israeli civilians, and reopened the blocked road," and that the IDF soldiers operating in the area did not take part in blocking the road.

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Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the United Nations has reported a sharp increase in violence attributed to Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

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Additionally, several Israeli ministers have continued to call for the annexation of all or part of the territory, amidst criticism from some US lawmakers, particularly Democrats, who have vehemently opposed Israel's military offensive in Gaza and the treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories.

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The United States remains a staunch ally of Israel, despite these criticisms from lawmakers, especially Democrats.