Well-known Trump critic
“Gangsters with submachine guns”: US politician arrested in Israel
July 11, 2026 – 7:55 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Armed settlers stop a US politician in the West Bank – for over an hour. The Israeli army is said not to have intervened.
Democratic US Congressman Ro Khanna accuses Israeli settlers and the Israeli military after a visit to occupied West Bank serious misconduct. Khanna told Reuters that armed settlers prevented him and other US citizens from traveling for more than an hour near the Palestinian hamlet of Khirbet Zanuta on Wednesday.
According to Khanna, his delegation had previously visited a village that, according to him, had been destroyed by settlers. “They had destroyed the school. They had destroyed the village. And we were just looking at it,” the lawmaker told Reuters. Then armed settlers appeared with US M4 rifles – Khanna literally speaks of “gangsters with submachine guns”. They arrested the group and alerted the Israeli army. When soldiers arrived, they sided with the settlers, Khanna said.
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Khanna’s colleague Cameron Kasky also contradicted the Israeli army’s portrayal. He wrote on Platform X that the military was misrepresenting the incident. The soldiers arrived and initially talked to the armed settlers instead of intervening.
Khanna: Israeli army supported the settlers
The Israeli military described the incident differently. In a statement, it said soldiers and police were deployed following a tip-off about settlers blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta. After their arrival, they dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue their journey. The Israeli police initially did not comment on the incident. Also the US Embassy in Jerusalem did not initially respond to a request.
Khanna also published a post on the X platform after the incident in which he wrote that Israeli settlers had detained him and other Americans with US M4 rifles. When the Israeli army arrived, it supported the settlers and continued the detention. The Democrat said he would release more details shortly.
The congressman from California According to his own statements, he is considering running for the US presidential election in 2028. He told Reuters that the trip had strengthened his thoughts. He is considered a critic of Israel. Khanna became known nationally when he joined Republicans Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene in calling for the release of the Epstein files used. Since then he has also become US President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked by name.
