Representative Ro Khanna (D.-Calif.) is in the news, making a big issue out of his treatment during a visit to an occupied — but abandoned — West Bank settlement. He claims he was detained by settlers and harassed by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). The IDF denies the charge.
According to Khanna, his visit to Khirbet Zanuta was interrupted by settlers who detained him, while masked men with guns then moved in, whom evidently the Congressman believed to be IDF. A photographer traveling with the Californian verified the incident.
Khanna says the only thing that got him and his crew extricated was a call to the U.S. Embassy and the arrival of local police to break things up.
“If this can happen to an American member of Congress, imagine what life is like for Palestinians who have no smartphones, no security, and no national platform,” Khanna told supporters. (He’s eyeing a 2028 presidential bid.)
The IDF has a different version. “Upon receiving the report [from the Embassy], IDF troops were dispatched to the scene, quickly dispersed the Israeli civilians, and reopened the blocked road,” the military said in a statement. “The IDF soldiers operating in the area did not take part in blocking the road.”
As a Californian, I say if Khanna likes Palestine so much — and disdains Israel so much — he should relocate to the West Bank and run for whatever office is available. We won’t miss him.
