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US lawmaker slams Israeli army after settlers detain him on Palestine trip
Al Jazeera • • nation
Key Points:
- Democratic lawmaker Ro Khanna and his tour group were detained by rifle-wielding Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, with Khanna accusing the Israeli army of siding with the settlers during the incident.
- Khanna described being held for over an hour by armed settlers and soldiers, highlighting the settlers’ arrogance and the Israeli military’s complicity, and noted the settlers were armed with US-made assault rifles.
- The incident underscores rising settler violence in the West Bank, which has increased amid Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, with human rights groups accusing Israel of state-backed ethnic cleansing.
- Khanna, who is considering a 2028 presidential run, and Republican Thomas Massie have both pushed for ending US military aid to Israel amid growing bipartisan scrutiny of US-Israel relations.
- The Israeli military stated that troops and police intervened after settlers blocked vehicles near a Palestinian hamlet, and the group was eventually released following police intervention.
