The California Democrat used the incident to solicit campaign donations.
minute read
Progressive Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) claimed he was detained by armed Israeli settlers during a recent visit to the West Bank, alleging Israeli soldiers sided with the civilians before using the encounter to accuse Israel of "genocide" and "apartheid."
But Israeli officials say the congressman's account omits critical facts, accusing Khanna of refusing repeated offers to coordinate his trip, entering what was believed to be a closed military zone without authorization, and then exploiting the incident for political and fundraising purposes.
The controversy comes as Khanna is already facing criticism at home over his outspoken support for former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, whose campaign collapsed amid allegations of rape after earlier revelations that he had a Nazi tattoo and accusations he'd abused previous girlfriends. Khanna quickly turned the West Bank confrontation into a fundraising appeal for his political campaign, drawing additional scrutiny from critics who accused him of using the overseas incident to boost his national political profile.
According to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, Khanna repeatedly declined offers to coordinate his visit with Israeli authorities, bypassed the US Embassy in Jerusalem, entered what soldiers believed was a closed military zone without authorization, and was briefly stopped only because security forces had no advance notice of his presence. Once his identity was confirmed, he and his entourage were immediately allowed to continue.
Leiter's statement is the latest challenge to Khanna's version of events. Earlier reporting indicated Israeli officials had offered to arrange meetings for the congressman with former Israeli hostages, survivors of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, Druze communities in the Golan Heights, Israeli border communities, and officials who could brief him on humanitarian aid entering Gaza. According to Israeli sources, Khanna's team did not take Israel up on those offers.
Leiter then issued a point-by-point rebuttal of Khanna's claims.
First, he said Khanna ignored repeated opportunities to coordinate his visit. "Congressman @RoKhanna was offered to coordinate his visit with the State of Israel - this goes beyond notifying of his presence in the country. He was offered in-depth coordination of his schedule to avoid misunderstandings, and he chose to ignore that offer. He also chose not to coordinate his visit with the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem."
Second, Leiter said Khanna traveled through the West Bank with Palestinian activists, New York Times journalists "with cameras at the ready," and "a person affiliated with @jstreet, an organization that actively lobbies against the government of Israel on Capitol Hill."
Third, Leiter disputed Khanna's characterization of the encounter itself, writing, "Mr. Khanna and his entourage entered what was believed to be a closed military zone without permission. The military had no prior knowledge of him going there, due to his refusal to coordinate with them. The vehicle they stopped was unknown to them and therefore provoked suspicion. The moment details of the Congressman's identity were cleared, he was free to go."
He added, "At no point was the congressman, or any member of his party, threatened by the soldiers, or civilians bearing arms."
Leiter also accused Khanna of leveraging the incident to advance accusations against Israel. "The Congressman used this instance as an opportunity to tout 'genocide' and 'apartheid' libels to the press, propelling himself to the center of yet another anti-Israel media frenzy."
Summing up the incident, the ambassador wrote, "The facts don't lie - this was a cheap, anticipated provocation, that could and should have been avoided."
Leiter concluded by rejecting Khanna's accusations against him while extending an invitation to meet. "Calling me a liar won't change the facts. I'd be happy to host Congressman Khanna at our embassy for an in-depth conversation on his grievances regarding Israel."
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tweeted, "The left-wing activist who set up this stunt says, 'The embassy is involved.' That is NOT TRUE. We did NOT know a member of Congress was coming. We would have said don't go to restricted zone. As FACTS come out, it's not helping the desired narrative. Not "held at gunpoint."
But Israeli officials say the congressman's account omits critical facts, accusing Khanna of refusing repeated offers to coordinate his trip, entering what was believed to be a closed military zone without authorization, and then exploiting the incident for political and fundraising purposes.
The controversy comes as Khanna is already facing criticism at home over his outspoken support for former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, whose campaign collapsed amid allegations of rape after earlier revelations that he had a Nazi tattoo and accusations he'd abused previous girlfriends. Khanna quickly turned the West Bank confrontation into a fundraising appeal for his political campaign, drawing additional scrutiny from critics who accused him of using the overseas incident to boost his national political profile.
According to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, Khanna repeatedly declined offers to coordinate his visit with Israeli authorities, bypassed the US Embassy in Jerusalem, entered what soldiers believed was a closed military zone without authorization, and was briefly stopped only because security forces had no advance notice of his presence. Once his identity was confirmed, he and his entourage were immediately allowed to continue.
Leiter's statement is the latest challenge to Khanna's version of events. Earlier reporting indicated Israeli officials had offered to arrange meetings for the congressman with former Israeli hostages, survivors of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, Druze communities in the Golan Heights, Israeli border communities, and officials who could brief him on humanitarian aid entering Gaza. According to Israeli sources, Khanna's team did not take Israel up on those offers.
Leiter then issued a point-by-point rebuttal of Khanna's claims.
First, he said Khanna ignored repeated opportunities to coordinate his visit. "Congressman @RoKhanna was offered to coordinate his visit with the State of Israel - this goes beyond notifying of his presence in the country. He was offered in-depth coordination of his schedule to avoid misunderstandings, and he chose to ignore that offer. He also chose not to coordinate his visit with the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem."
Second, Leiter said Khanna traveled through the West Bank with Palestinian activists, New York Times journalists "with cameras at the ready," and "a person affiliated with @jstreet, an organization that actively lobbies against the government of Israel on Capitol Hill."
Third, Leiter disputed Khanna's characterization of the encounter itself, writing, "Mr. Khanna and his entourage entered what was believed to be a closed military zone without permission. The military had no prior knowledge of him going there, due to his refusal to coordinate with them. The vehicle they stopped was unknown to them and therefore provoked suspicion. The moment details of the Congressman's identity were cleared, he was free to go."
He added, "At no point was the congressman, or any member of his party, threatened by the soldiers, or civilians bearing arms."
Leiter also accused Khanna of leveraging the incident to advance accusations against Israel. "The Congressman used this instance as an opportunity to tout 'genocide' and 'apartheid' libels to the press, propelling himself to the center of yet another anti-Israel media frenzy."
Summing up the incident, the ambassador wrote, "The facts don't lie - this was a cheap, anticipated provocation, that could and should have been avoided."
Leiter concluded by rejecting Khanna's accusations against him while extending an invitation to meet. "Calling me a liar won't change the facts. I'd be happy to host Congressman Khanna at our embassy for an in-depth conversation on his grievances regarding Israel."
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tweeted, "The left-wing activist who set up this stunt says, 'The embassy is involved.' That is NOT TRUE. We did NOT know a member of Congress was coming. We would have said don't go to restricted zone. As FACTS come out, it's not helping the desired narrative. Not "held at gunpoint."
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