Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
As activists they oppose the arrest of a United States Congressman Ro Khanna and armed Israelis, Israelis and their allies are launching political attacks to discredit a progressive lawmaker.
Israeli officials have already blocked Khanna’s apology or response to the settlers. Instead, several have gone to challenge the Congressman.
Recommended Articles
list of things 3end of series
Khanna said he was on his way to a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday when armed men stopped his car for 20 minutes. The settlers were later joined by Israeli soldiers who continued to block the road.
The entire ordeal lasted more than an hour, according to Khanna, and was resolved shortly after arriving at the US embassy in Israel.
On Sunday, Michael Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, appeared to blame Khanna for the abuse he received, saying the California Democrat failed to coordinate his visit with the Israeli government.
“He decided to run his tour not with Israel, but with Palestinian activists and with J Street,” Leiter told CBS News, referring to the Jewish nonprofit.
Leiter went on to suggest, without evidence, that Khanna may have waited to release his video of what happened on Wednesday to undermine his support for politician Graham Platner.
Platner he stopped of the Senate race in Maine on Friday amid sex-related allegations. Khanna released his video on Saturday.
“Maybe that had something to do with his support of Graham Platner in the past and the difficulties he had with that, and trying to focus his attention on something else. Maybe? I’m asking the question,” Leiter said.
Khanna is not backing down, however. He said he informed Israel about his trip and has asked for the arrest of those who took his car.
Khanna answers
The Israeli army disputed Khanna’s actions, saying they “dispersed” civilians blocking the road. But in an appearance on Sunday with NBC News, Khanna denied the story.
“The (Israeli army) is lying,” Khanna said.
“What happened was unprecedented. They detained violent American citizens, including the head of the American government. You had American citizens living in the country carrying M4 (guns), beating the tires of our car, laughing at us, mocking us, filming us.”
He said that the Israeli army took part in blocking their way and detaining them.
“How dare they abuse people with an American passport like that?” Khanna said.
Pro-Israel politicians, however, said that Khanna had brought himself to prison for political activities.
“Sounds like another request for publicity. Anything to get in front of a camera. Why would you be there? It’s not your country,” Republican Greg Murphy wrote in his post.
Critics were quick to point out that Murphy’s first trip as part of the congressional delegation was to Israel.
Khanna also responded to Murphy, urging him to be on “Team America” and join the group of settlers and soldiers who abuse US citizens to face the consequences.
“I would have called this if you were in our shoes,” Khanna said.
Commentator Tucker Carlson was among those who came to Khanna’s defense. He objected Mike Huckabeethe US ambassador to Israel, for not being able to talk about what happened.
“An American member of Congress is being threatened by foreign terrorists carrying American guns, supported by foreign soldiers paid for by American taxpayers, and the US ambassador to the country has said nothing to protect his citizen,” Carlson wrote on the social media site X.
“It’s very difficult, insulting and embarrassing for America.”
However, many supporters of Israel in the US expressed skepticism about Khanna’s experience. David Friedman, former US ambassador to Israel, accused Khanna of “self-torture”.
Friedman argued, without evidence, that Khanna had deliberately trespassed into the restricted area to start the case.
“As was obvious, he was asked a few questions and sent him. But he got the picture and everything he needed to explain the lies that were already there,” Friedman said in his post. “Well played Ro.”
Many other pro-Israel supporters agreed with that.
Attacks on US citizens
The Israeli army and its presence in the occupied West Bank is illegal under international law.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 2024 that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, it is illegal.
“The Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the government associated with them, have been established and are being held in violation of international law,” the United Nations said.
Israeli settlers – often under the protection of Israeli soldiers – attack Palestinian neighborhoods in the West Bank, destroying fields and property and beating people who come. This includes Americans.
For example, a year ago, residents of Israel beat a 20-year-old US citizen Sayfollah Musallet to death.
Three weeks later, an American citizen, a father of five from Chicago named him Thursday Ayyadhe was also killed in the colonial attack.
No one has been charged with any wrongdoing after the two attacks.
Despite the well-documented persecution of US citizens, Israel was annexed by the US visa waiver program in 2023, allowing Israelis to travel visa-free to the US.
Israel is the largest recipient of US military aid in history, after receiving it more than $21bn in the last two years alone.
