Khanna, a Democratic congressman from California who said he is seriously considering a run for the U.S. presidency in 2028, told Reuters on Thursday that the encounter occurred while his group was touring a part of the southern West Bank where Palestinian communities have frequently reported attacks by Israeli settlers.

According to Khanna, the delegation was visiting a Palestinian village that he said had been destroyed by settlers when armed men carrying U.S.-made M4 rifles surrounded their van and prevented them from leaving. He alleged that the settlers blocked the road and summoned Israeli forces, accusing the military of siding with the settlers rather than assisting American visitors.

An aide traveling with Khanna, Cameron Kasky, said the group remained blocked for more than an hour and sought assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem during the incident. He said officers who appeared to be Israeli police later arrived and enabled the delegation to continue its journey.

The Israeli military confirmed that troops and police responded after receiving reports that Israeli civilians were obstructing vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet in the southern West Bank. It said security forces dispersed the civilians upon arrival and allowed the vehicles to proceed.

Israel Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem also did not immediately comment on the incident.

Khanna became the second prominent Democrat weighing a White House campaign to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories this week. Former Chicago mayor and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, speaking in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, said Israeli policies toward Palestinians were weakening support for the U.S.-Israel alliance among Americans.

Asked by Reuters whether he intended to enter the 2028 presidential race, Khanna said he was strongly considering a campaign and that his visit had reinforced that thinking.

The California lawmaker said he deliberately limited his itinerary to the occupied West Bank and relied on Palestinian-led programming to gain what he described as an unfiltered understanding of conditions under Israeli occupation. He argued that the issue had become a defining moral and political test within the Democratic Party.

Khanna sharply criticized Israeli policy toward Palestinians, referring to what he described as genocide in Gaza and apartheid in the West Bank. Israel has consistently rejected both allegations, denying that it has committed genocide in Gaza or operates an apartheid system in the occupied territory.

The visit comes as divisions over Israel have become increasingly visible within the Democratic Party ahead of November’s U.S. midterm elections. The issue has contributed to primary defeats for some incumbent Democrats challenged by candidates who accused them of backing Israel’s right-wing government.

According to Reuters/Ipsos polling, Israel’s favorability rating among Democratic voters declined from 59% in 2018 to 22% in May, reflecting a broader shift in public opinion within the party.

Although support for Israel has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan backing in Washington, a growing number of Democratic lawmakers have called for ending U.S. military assistance, which totals approximately $3.8 billion annually and includes funding for military equipment such as M4 rifles and missile interception systems.

The West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, is home to roughly 3 million Palestinians and about 500,000 Israeli settlers. Most countries and the United Nations consider Israeli settlements in the territory illegal under international law, citing the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel disputes that interpretation, arguing that the West Bank is disputed territory with longstanding Jewish historical ties. Palestinians seek the West Bank, together with Gaza and East Jerusalem, as the basis of a future independent state.

Support for continued U.S. assistance to Israel remains strong among Republicans, although some figures within President Donald Trump’s political coalition have also advocated reducing American military aid.