Khanna accuses Israeli military of lying about West Bank detention

Rep. Ro Khanna accused the Israeli military of “lying” Sunday about an encounter in the occupied West Bank in which he said armed Israeli settlers and soldiers detained his convoy while he was traveling to a Palestinian village.

The California Democrat said he was on his way Wednesday to Zanuta, a village in the South Hebron hills, when settlers blocked his van. Khanna posted video on social media showing settlers and soldiers obstructing the convoy’s path. The Israeli military said its soldiers “quickly dispersed” Israeli civilians and reopened the road, an account Khanna rejected in an interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press.

“The IDF is lying,” Khanna said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. “What happened was unprecedented. They had violent settlers detain American citizens, including an American government official. You had these settlers brandishing M4s, kicking the tires of our van, laughing at us, mocking at us, videotaping us.”

Khanna said the settlers held the van for about 20 minutes before Israeli soldiers arrived and continued to block the group. “We were detained for about 20 minutes, fearful of our lives. Then the IDF comes, four soldiers. They tell our translator that they’re on the side of the settlers. They further detain us and block us in,” he said. Al Jazeera reported that Khanna said the full ordeal lasted more than an hour and ended after he contacted the U.S. embassy in Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appearing earlier on Meet the Press, described the armed settlers as a small group of “juvenile delinquents” and said they were not part of what he called the “law-abiding” settler community. Khanna responded by calling for an investigation into the settlers and the soldiers.

“The prime minister needs to open an investigation on these violent settlers who are connected to Yinon Levi,” Khanna said, referring to an Israeli settler who, according to The Guardian, was recorded about a year earlier firing what appeared to be a fatal shot that killed Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in the same region. Levi was not prosecuted by Israeli authorities in the killing, despite video evidence, The Guardian reported.

Israeli officials said Khanna had rejected their attempt to shape his visit by adding a meeting with former Israeli hostages held in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. They told the New York Post: “Congressman Khanna didn’t come to understand the situation – he came looking for a headline.”

Khanna replied on social media: “The Israeli government is lying to cover up for 4 IDF soldiers who aided violent settlers. I have met with Israeli hostages and condemned the brutal, terrorist attacks of Oct 7. That does [not] excuse the IDF from detaining American citizens.”

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Leiter, criticized Khanna on CBS News’ Face the Nation, saying the congressman coordinated his trip with Palestinian activists and J Street rather than Israel. Leiter also suggested, without evidence, that Khanna delayed releasing the video to shift attention from his support for Graham Platner, a former Maine Senate candidate who dropped out after sexual misconduct allegations. Host Margaret Brennan noted that Khanna had asked news organizations to hold the story until after he left Israeli-controlled territory.

Nadav Weiman, director of Breaking the Silence, an Israeli human rights group founded by former soldiers, said he accompanied Khanna and supported his account. “Armed settlers were the first to arrive, and then, as has become the norm, Israeli soldiers joined them,” Weiman wrote. “Together they detained the delegation for over an hour. The IDF is lying and not for the first time.”

Every Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is illegal under international law. Al Jazeera reported that the International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, including Gaza, is unlawful.