Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna has said he was stopped and held by Israeli settlers for more than an hour during a visit to the occupied West Bank, an incident that has renewed attention on growing concerns over settler violence in the Palestinian territory.
According to Khanna, the confrontation unfolded while he was traveling through the West Bank, where Israeli settlers allegedly blocked his movement for over an hour. He said members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spoke with the settlers during the standoff and moved a vehicle to block the road, rather than immediately clearing the passage.
The incident was first reported by The New York Times. A spokesperson for Khanna later confirmed the account to CBS News, while the Times reported that one of its photojournalists witnessed the encounter.
Khanna is among several U.S. lawmakers who have traveled to the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war erupted following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The visits have come as Washington continues to balance its support for Israel with mounting international concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and rising tensions in the occupied territories.
In recent months, lawmakers from both political parties have toured the region. House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the West Bank in September 2025 and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley also traveled through the territory in August 2025.
Khanna’s account comes months after another high-profile incident involving foreign officials. In May 2025, Israeli troops fired what they described as warning shots near an international diplomatic delegation visiting the West Bank. The group included representatives from the European Union, Japan and Russia. The Israeli military later said the delegation had strayed from an approved route and entered a restricted area.
The West Bank has witnessed a sharp rise in violence since the Gaza war began. The United Nations said in May that more than 1,000 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 2023. Human rights groups and local residents have also reported an increase in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities, with some families saying the violence has forced them to leave their homes and farmland.
Data from Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din suggests accountability remains limited. The group said that, based on 2,427 complaints alleging abuse by Israeli soldiers between 2016 and 2024, fewer than one percent resulted in indictments.
Today, more than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War and claimed by Palestinians as part of a future independent state. Rights groups estimate that roughly 15 percent of those settlers are American citizens.
The international community has long maintained that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank violate international law, a position rejected by Israel. Pressure on the Israeli government has intensified in recent months, with five longtime U.S. allies imposing sanctions on two senior Israeli officials they accused of encouraging violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the sanctions and called for them to be withdrawn.