JERUSALEM, Israel — U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Tuesday accused Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., of constructing a false declare that he had coordinated with the American Embassy earlier than touring to Israel’s Biblical heartland.
Khanna visited the West Financial institution final week and later mentioned his delegation was aggressively detained by Israeli settlers. The journey drew sharp criticism from opponents who described it as political theater aimed toward boosting a doable presidential run.
Huckabee pushed again on X, disputing Khanna’s model of occasions and the function of the embassy. “The left-wing activist who arrange this stunt says ‘The embassy is concerned.’ That’s NOT TRUE. We did NOT know a member of Congress was coming. We’d have mentioned don’t go to restricted zone. As FACTS come out, it’s not serving to the specified narrative. Not ‘held at gunpoint,’” he wrote.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks to INC Information throughout an interview on the American embassy in Jerusalem, Israel. (Yoav Dudkevitch/ TPS-IL)
In an interview with INC Information on Tuesday, Khanna mentioned he was held by Israeli settlers for 75 minutes on Wednesday throughout a go to to the West Financial institution, a area additionally identified by its Biblical names, Judea and Samaria.
“We had knowledgeable the Israeli embassy,” Khanna mentioned.
Requested about Huckabee’s publish on X stating that the embassy had no advance discover of the go to, Khanna rejected the accusation. “That’s simply false. He was misinformed,” the California Democrat mentioned.
Khanna later answered Huckabee instantly on X, writing, “Ambassador, we now have all the time had a relationship of mutual respect regardless of political variations. The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has now clarified it was not a restricted zone and Israeli papers have confirmed this. Deputy Chief of Mission David Brownstein in our embassy did an excellent job in getting us out. We’re protected due to him. Please thank him. We clearly notified our Embassy and Israel’s embassy concerning the journey given we had been in fixed contact with David.”
Khanna mentioned the “violent settlers who detained us have to be prosecuted and the IDF officers who furthered that detention have to be investigated. There have been these extremist settlers who parked their automobile in entrance of our van denying us exit — there was just one highway — they brandished an M4 gun and kicked our tires.”
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., speaks with a Palestinian resident of Turmus Ayya, close to Ramallah, throughout a go to within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution July 9, 2026. (Reuters/Ammar Awad)
Eitan Fischberger, an Israeli Mideast analyst, posted footage on X that he mentioned debunked Khanna’s claims that he was violently detained.
Fischberger wrote,” I encourage everybody to look at footage of Ro Khanna’s supposedly violent ‘detainment,’ which was launched by the crazed activists on his personal workforce. What a wonderful self-own.”
INC Information despatched a follow-up press question to Khanna concerning the video footage. He mentioned the publish by Fischberger was “false” and supplied his X publish with video footage.
He wrote, “When the IDF arrived, they sided with the settlers & continued our detention. They made an enormous mistake.”
Khanna instructed Fox Information, “I instructed the Israeli authorities that I wished to go on a Palestinian-led journey to the West Financial institution as a result of I’d been [on] three journeys to Israel. I had gotten Israel’s perspective, and that this journey I used to be going to go to the West Financial institution for a Palestinian-led search for three days. They knew that. And the purpose is that simply because an American politician desires to get the aspect of Palestinians that doesn’t give Israel the appropriate to have violent settlers detain People with a passport that provides Israel the appropriate to have IDF detain us. It’s not simply me.”
Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Heart for Safety and Overseas Affairs, instructed INC Information Khanna’s go to “seemed to be a publicity stunt upfront of his anticipated run for president in 2028. Let’s be sincere, this was a publicity stunt.
“Khanna’s 72-hour go to to a number of PLO-PA [Palestine Liberation Organization-Palestinian Authority] villages in Judea and Samaria was carried out with none safety or diplomatic coordination with Israel both of those is the embassy in Washington or the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, or safety forces in a very harmful go to: his historical past of pro-Palestinian activism, and anti-Israel activism is well-known.”
Diker claimed, “Khanna had publicly endorsed a Palestinian state following the Oct. 7 Iran-backed Palestinian Hamas bloodbath aligning with pro-Hamas, professional BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanction campaign against Israel] teams comparable to American Muslims for Palestine.”
Hamas’ invasion of Israel Oct. 7 resulted within the terrorist group’s mass homicide of over 1,200 folks, together with greater than 40 People.
Khanna can be below hearth from a fellow Democrat.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., wrote on X, “What’s appalling is that Ro ignored requests to fulfill 10/7 survivors and hostages, or to go to websites of the ten/7 terrorist assaults. As a substitute, using the anti-Zionist wave, he used the journey as a presidential marketing campaign cameo.”
When INC Information requested about Gottheimer’s criticism, together with not assembly with Oct. 7 survivors, he mentioned, “The aim of this journey was a Palestinian-led tour via the West Financial institution.”
He famous that “I’ve been to Israel thrice and met with hostage households.”
In response to Gottheimer’s accusation that he used the go to as a “presidential marketing campaign cameo,” Khanna mentioned, “I have no idea what he was speaking about.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, posted a prolonged response on X with respect to Khanna’s allegations that he was detained and his reported defamations of the Jewish state.
“Congressman Khanna was supplied to coordinate his go to with the State of Israel — this goes past notifying of his presence within the nation,” Leiter wrote. “He was supplied in-depth coordination of his schedule to keep away from misunderstandings, and he selected to disregard that provide. He additionally selected to not coordinate his go to with the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.”
“So as to add insult to harm, the Congressman used this occasion as a chance to tout ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid’ libels to the press, propelling himself to the middle of one more anti-Israel media frenzy. The info don’t lie — this was an inexpensive, anticipated provocation that would and will have been prevented….I’d be blissful to host Congressman Khanna at our embassy for an in-depth dialog on his grievances relating to Israel.”
Khanna instructed INC Information his workplace contacted Ambassador Leiter’s workplace after he supplied to fulfill with the him. The congressman referred to his X publish to Leiter.
“…I’m blissful to take you up in your provide to fulfill as a result of I wish to flip this incident into one thing constructive for peculiar folks in Palestine,” he wrote.
When requested about Leiter’s accusation that Khanna was defaming the Jewish state, Khanna mentioned, “That’s what I consider occurred, and that’s what the U.N. believed occurred.”
A handout picture allegedly exhibits Israeli settlers blocking the convoy of U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., his press workforce says, in Khirbet Zanuta throughout a go to within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution July 8, 2026. (U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna’s Press Workforce/Handout by way of Reuters )
Khanna added, “I wish to be clear that I unequivocally reject Hamas’ terrorism and consider Israel has a proper to exist. Hamas’ constitution that requires the destruction of Israel is appalling and why they’re a terrorist group.” When pressed about whether or not Hamas’ invasion on Oct. 7 was genocidal and if the Hamas Constitution is a genocidal doc as a result of it requires the extermination of Jews and Israel, Khanna mentioned it’s “violent antisemitism,” and he repeatedly termed Hamas a terrorist group however declined to name it a genocidal group.
Khanna additionally instructed INC Information he believes the Islamic Republic of Iran, which funds Hamas, is a state-sponsor of terrorism.
“The preliminary inquiry signifies that IDF troopers had been dispatched to the Khirbet Zanuta space within the Judea Brigade following reviews that overseas nationals had entered an space that was believed to be a closed navy zone,” an IDF spokesperson instructed INC Information Tuesday.
“On the similar time, an extra report was obtained relating to a highway being blocked by Israeli civilians.
“Upon arriving on the scene, the troopers distanced the Israeli civilians away from the world and waited for affirmation that there was no safety concern relating to the overseas nationals current on the location, and awaited affirmation that the world was not, actually, a closed navy zone. The convoy was then allowed to proceed on its method. This course of lasted a number of minutes. It ought to be emphasised that, all through the incident, there was no bodily confrontation or violence between these concerned, and no such allegations had been reported.
“The armed particular person current on the scene was an IDF soldier who was on go away. The matter is below overview, and the soldier shall be addressed accordingly. It must also be famous that the go to had not been coordinated with the IDF upfront. We emphasize that prior coordination of diplomatic visits is meant to stop incidents of this nature. Such coordination is especially necessary in areas the place there’s a danger of security-related incidents. The required conduct when interacting with diplomats shall be additional clarified and bolstered.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter (Getty Photographs)
The Press Service of Israel (TPS-IL) performed an investigation of the general public row. An Israeli safety official instructed TPS-IL that Khanna’s delegation didn’t coordinate its arrival upfront.
“They didn’t coordinate the go to,” the official mentioned. “Normally, advance discover is obtained.”
In response to the official, visits by overseas lawmakers and different distinguished delegations to delicate areas of Judea and Samaria are typically coordinated with Israeli authorities. Such coordination permits authorities to evaluate entry restrictions, safety situations and logistical preparations. The official mentioned Israeli civilian safety personnel arrived and blocked the delegation earlier than troops intervened. “Settlers arrived, blocked them, the military dispersed them and that was mainly the tip of the incident,” the official mentioned.
The supply added that safety forces sought to resolve the obstruction shortly after studying that the autos had been blocked.
Diker sees the 2028 presidential election cycle because the magnet for attracting some candidates to Israel with their alleged anti-Israel private agendas.
Diker mentioned, “The purpose right here is that U.S. presidential politics, on the left flank of the Democratic Social gathering, now exploits what will be referred to as Israel cancellation or the inversion of legitimacy between Hamas — PLO and Israel as a part of the unresolved Palestinian query as a serious nationwide subject for the American folks, not the Islamic Republic of Iran and its world terror proxies, and it’s interruption of world oil transport, kidnapping the worldwide economic system, neither is the difficulty the continuing Russia, Ukraine state of affairs, the Chinese language communist events infiltration of know-how and different belongings within the West or the Islamic infiltration of America.”
