Photo courtesy - Reuters 

By The South Asia Times

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Democratic US Representative Ro Khanna said he and members of his delegation were briefly detained by armed Israeli settlers during a visit to the occupied West Bank this week, an incident that has intensified debate in Washington over U.S. policy toward Israel and the Palestinians, according to Reuters News agency.

In an interview on Thursday, the California lawmaker said the group was traveling through the southern West Bank on Wednesday when settlers carrying U.S.-made M4 rifles surrounded their vehicle, blocked the road, and prevented them from leaving while touring Palestinian communities affected by settler violence.

Khanna said the delegation had been visiting a Palestinian village where, according to local residents, homes and a school had been damaged in previous settler attacks.

"They blocked off the road and called the Israeli military," Khanna told Reuters, arguing that the response highlighted the insecurity faced by Palestinians living in the occupied territory.

A member of the delegation, Cameron Kasky, told Reuters the group remained stranded for more than an hour and sought assistance from the US Embassy in Jerusalem before Israeli security personnel arrived and the delegation was allowed to continue its journey.

The Israeli military confirmed that troops and police responded after receiving reports of Israeli civilians obstructing vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet in the southern West Bank. In a statement, the military said security forces dispersed those blocking the road and enabled the vehicles to proceed. Israeli police did not immediately comment, while the U.S. Embassy also did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.

The visit comes as Khanna weighs a potential campaign for the 2028 US presidential election. Speaking to Reuters, he said the trip had strengthened his resolve to consider a White House bid and was designed to provide an unfiltered view of conditions in the occupied West Bank through meetings organized by Palestinians.

Khanna, one of the most outspoken progressive Democrats on Middle East policy, said the conflict has become a defining moral issue within the Democratic Party. He sharply criticized Israeli policies toward Palestinians, referring to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and conditions in the West Bank.

Israel has rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza and denies allegations that it operates an apartheid system in the occupied West Bank. Israeli officials maintain that military operations are directed against militant groups and argue that security measures are necessary to protect Israeli civilians.

The incident comes amid growing divisions within the Democratic Party over US support for Israel. According to Reuters, public opinion surveys show Democratic support for Israel has declined significantly in recent years, while an increasing number of Democratic lawmakers have called for reassessing the roughly $3.8 billion in annual US military assistance provided to Israel.

The West Bank, captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war, is home to about 3 million Palestinians and roughly 500,000 Israeli settlers. Most countries and the United Nations consider the settlements illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes, arguing that the territory's status should be resolved through negotiations.