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“You were not ‘detained,’ you were properly refused entry,” Hanson said.
By United with Israel staff
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a longtime critic of Israeli policy who is reportedly weighing a 2028 presidential campaign, claimed this week that armed Israeli settlers prevented his delegation from leaving a site in Judea and Samaria.
The IDF denied that any visitors were detained, while Republican lawmakers accused Khanna of turning the encounter into a publicity stunt.
Speaking to Reuters from a Palestinian village on Thursday, Khanna said his group had visited an abandoned community that he blamed on settler violence when masked men carrying what he described as U.S.-made M4 rifles surrounded their van.
“We were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed. They had destroyed the school, they had destroyed that village, and we were just looking at it,” Khanna said.
Khanna alleged that the armed men refused to let the delegation leave and criticized Israeli soldiers who later arrived, saying they appeared friendly with the settlers while preventing his group from continuing forward.
The IDF rejected the claim that Khanna or members of his delegation had been detained, saying the group had attempted to enter a restricted military area and was prevented from proceeding.
Israel Police also disputed Khanna’s account. Police told NBC News they responded to reports that a group was blocking a route inside a closed military zone under IDF control. By the time officers arrived, they said, IDF soldiers had already stopped the tour group from entering the restricted area.
Police said officers witnessed no violence during the incident. According to the statement, the group’s leader was warned he could be arrested for repeatedly violating the closed military zone order, while participants were informed that civilians were not permitted in the area and were then allowed to leave.
“A review of body-worn camera footage confirms that the group leader was explicitly warned by officers, as this was not his first time violating the Closed Military Zone order,” police said. “He was issued a final warning that any future violations would result in immediate arrest.”
Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) accused Khanna of seeking attention.
“Sounds like another plea for publicity. Anything to get in front of the camera,” Murphy wrote on X. “Why else would you be there? It isn’t your country.”
Jim Hanson, chief strategist for the Middle East Forum, similarly described the episode as a “performative outrage stunt.”
“You purposely had your tour bus try to enter a zone restricted for civilians,” Hanson wrote. “Local security stopped you and the IDF verified you were not authorized to enter.”
“You were not ‘detained,’ you were properly refused entry,” he added.
Khanna nevertheless used the incident in a fundraising appeal, writing, “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.”
A source familiar with the visit also told the New York Post that Khanna declined an Israeli offer to meet former hostages and survivors of Hamas’ October 7 massacre.
According to the source, Khanna’s staff initially described the trip as private and said he did not intend to meet Israeli or Palestinian political figures. Israeli officials later offered to arrange a meeting with former hostages and survivors, but Khanna’s team did not respond despite a follow-up request.
“Congressman Khanna didn’t come to understand the situation. He came looking for a headline,” the source said. “Israel went out of its way to provide Congressman Khanna with access to communities that reflected the complexity of the situation. He chose a different path.”
Khanna has repeatedly taken positions critical of Israel. He opposed President Donald Trump’s 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, called for a permanent ceasefire during the Gaza war, urged greater scrutiny of U.S. arms transfers to Israel, and boycotted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2024 address to Congress.
In 2025, Khanna led efforts urging Washington to recognize a Palestinian state and later co-sponsored a resolution introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians.
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