US Congressman Ro Khanna on Sunday called for an investigation into armed Israeli occupiers and soldiers after he said his delegation had been detained during a visit to the occupied West Bank.
Israeli occupiers assaulted Rep. Khanna, a vocal critic of Israeli settlement policies, and briefly detained him on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 and the New York Times cited Khanna as saying he was detained for about 90 minutes in the Hebron area in the southern West Bank after occupiers blocked his path and prevented him from continuing his visit.
Speaking to NBC News, the California Democrat said armed Israeli occupiers carrying M4-style rifles stopped his delegation during a three-day trip to the territory.
Khanna said the occupiers kicked the tires of the delegation’s van, mocked and filmed its occupants, and prevented them from leaving for about 20 minutes.
“We were detained for about 20 minutes, fearful of our lives,” he said.
He alleged that four Israeli soldiers who later arrived at the scene continued to block the group and told the delegation’s translator that they were on the side of the occupiers.
Khanna said the delegation contacted the US Embassy and was allowed to proceed around 75 minutes after the incident began.
He urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to open investigations into the occupiers, their outpost, and the actions of the four soldiers.
Khanna said security camera footage could help establish whether the soldiers took part in detaining American citizens, including a US government official.
NBC News cited an Israeli military statement claiming troops were quickly dispatched to the scene, dispersed “the Israeli civilians,” and reopened the blocked road.
The military denied that its soldiers had taken part in blocking the delegation.
Khanna rejected that account, accusing the Israeli military of lying.
He also called for the occupiers involved to be prosecuted and alleged that they were connected to occupier Yinon Levi, whom he accused of violence against Palestinians.
“How dare they mistreat people with an American passport that way?” Khanna said.
Levi-also spelled Levy-has been accused by the Palestinian Health Ministry and Israeli human rights group B’Tselem of shooting and killing a Palestinian activist tied to the Oscar-winning film No Other Land in July 2025.
Levi was sanctioned by the administration of then-US President Joe Biden for violence against Palestinians before the sanctions were lifted in January 2025, shortly after current US President Trump took office.
