Bay Area Rep. Ro Khanna returns to US after being detained by Israeli settlers in West Bank visit

Rep. Ro Khanna said he and other Americans were detained by Israeli settlers and military during a visit to the West Bank, an incident that has drawn attention from Bay Area activists and academics who say the experience could influence the California congressman's views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a social media post, Khanna wrote: "Israeli settlers, brandishing American made M4s, detained me & other Americans on my tip to Palestine. When the IDF arrived, they sided with the settlers and continued our detention. They made a huge mistake."

George Bisharat, Professor Emeritus at UC College of the Law San Francisco, said the incident could prove politically significant.

"We have to change course. And, we are going to change course. I think that is what he is saying," Bisharat said.

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According to Bisharat, the congressman's experience reflects conditions faced by Palestinians in the West Bank.

"Palestinians are shot, killed. Their vehicles shot up. Their homes burned. Their babies shots. So, you know, he got a mild taste of it," Bisharat said.

"Laughing that they had detained us. The arrogance of those young IDF soldiers that my tax dollars are funding. Having no respect that they were detaining Americans. No respect that there was an American congress person in that bus," Khanna told Reuters.

Khanna was not available for an interview with ABC7 Eyewitness News.

Bisharat said the incident could have broader political implications and reflects what he sees as a shift in Khanna's views on U.S. policy toward Israel.

"This is a form of leadership that we have not seen much of," Bisharat said. "He has gained skepticism over time about the centrist democratic line on Israel, which is basically unconditional military support for Israel, no matter what it does."

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said, "The IDF soldiers operating in the area did not take part in blocking the road."

According to the U.S.-based, nonpartisan Israel Policy Forum, about 60% of the West Bank is controlled by Israel and more than 460,000 settlers live there.

The report notes that settlements are considered illegal under international law and are viewed as an obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state, while Israel considers them a security buffer. Bay Area Palestinian activists, like Rami Sultan, met with Khanna following the Oct. 7 attacks to discuss concerns about the ongoing war in Gaza.

Sultan said Khanna's visit to the West Bank distinguished him from many other elected officials.

"I believe he was being challenged about the fact that he wasn't on the ground. He hadn't witnessed or visited the Palestinian territories. And this was his answer to that," Sultan said.

After returning home, Khanna posted on social media that he had safely completed the trip.

He also wrote, "I met Palestinian families who did not have enough water to flush the toilet or to wash their clothes. While Israeli settlers had four times the water." Khanna added, "You know, it doesn't really matter what your ideology is. West is happening in the West Bank is just inhumane. No human being would tolerate it. That is what I want to try and get across. It's like the Jim Crow South."

The congressman's account of the trip has fueled renewed discussion among Bay Area advocates and academics about U.S. policy in the region and conditions in the West Bank.