'If You're Unwilling To Speak Up For Palestinians...': Why Ro Khanna Went To West Bank
'If You're Unwilling To Speak Up For Palestinians...': Why Ro Khanna Went To West Bank Published By, Last Updated: July 11, 2026, 19:21 IST Khanna's
'If You're Unwilling To Speak Up For Palestinians...': Why Ro Khanna Went To West Bank Published By, Last Updated: July 11, 2026, 19:21 IST Khanna's visit to the West Bank came amid growing debate within the Democratic Party over US policy towards Israel and the ongoing conflict in Palestinian territories. Rapid Read US Representative Ro Khanna speaks with Palestinian residents. (Reuters) Indian-origin Democrat Ro Khanna came at the centre of a controversy after he was allegedly detained by a group of Israeli settlers with US-made rifles during a visit to the occupied West Bank. Khanna said his group’s van was surrounded by settlers while visiting a part of the southern West Bank which witnessed frequent settler attacks. Khanna said the incident occurred while his group was touring a Palestinian village destroyed by Israeli settlers. “We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed. They had destroyed the school, they had destroyed the village, and we were there looking at it," he told Reuters. “These hoodlums came in with machine guns — M4s, American-made rifles — and they detained us. They blocked off the road and then called the IDF. The IDF was on their side, not on the side of the Americans," he alleged. Khanna was eventually allowed to continue his journey after calls to the US embassy and Israeli police.
“Imagine how people feel every day, Palestinians under the occupation, if they could make an American congressperson feel powerless for 90 minutes," he was quoted as saying by The New York Times. ALSO READ: Who Is Ro Khanna? The Indian-Origin US Congressman At The Centre Of West Bank Controversy Why Ro Khanna Visited West Bank? Khanna’s visit to the West Bank came amid growing debate within the Democratic Party over US policy towards Israel and the ongoing conflict in Palestinian territories. A growing number of Democrats have criticised Israel’s actions in Palestinian territories and have called on the administration to cut off military aid to Israel. A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that Israel’s favourability rating among Democrats fell from 59% in 2018 to 22% in May, reflecting strong opposition to Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza. Several prominent Democrats have been targeted by left-wing challengers who accuse them of supporting Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government. Several Democrats and even some Republicans in US President Donald Trump’s circle have become vocal critics of US policy towards Israel. Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff under Barack Obama, delivered a scathing assessment of Netanyahu’s policies in Tel Aviv, saying they were eroding support for the US-Israeli alliance. Khanna has also shifted on the issue.
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