Democratic US Congressman from California, Ro Khanna, accused the Israeli government and the occupation army of "lying" about the circumstances of his detention by armed settlers and Israeli soldiers during his recent visit to the occupied West Bank, calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to open an official investigation into the settlers and soldiers who participated in the incident.
Khanna posted videos on social media documenting Israeli settlers and soldiers blocking the road in front of his convoy last Wednesday in the hills area south of Hebron, near the village of Zenota, one of the villages that have seen Palestinian displacement, as part of what Amnesty International described as a "campaign of ethnic cleansing supported by the Israeli government."
During an interview with NBC News' Meet the Press, Khanna rejected the narrative presented by the Israeli army, in which he claimed that the soldiers intervened quickly to disperse the settlers and reopen the road for the delegation.
Details of Armed Detention and Soldiers' Complicity
"The Israeli army is lying," the congressman angrily said, stressing that the settlers had detained American citizens, including a U.S. government official, while they brandished M4 assault rifles, kicked the tires of the vehicle carrying the delegation, and mocked them and filmed them with their phones.
He added that the delegation remained detained and besieged for about 20 minutes amid real fears for their lives, before four Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene, but according to Khanna, they did not end the detention, but explicitly informed the delegation's interpreter that they were standing by the settlers, and then continued to prevent them from leaving the area.
In response to Netanyahu's remarks, who described the settlers involved as mere "juvenile delinquents" who do not represent the settler community, Khanna stressed the need to hold accountable settler Yinon Levy, who he accused of destroying the village of Zanuta, and who was responsible for the killing of Palestinian activist Odeh al-Hazaleen in the same area, after he was shot nearly a year ago, without being prosecuted by the authorities, despite the existence of video footage documented by al-Hazaleen himself during his injury. No Other Land", which dealt with settler violence.
Khanna also deplored, "How dare they treat people with US passports in this way?"
Israel attacks Khanna, calls visit a "political show"
Israeli officials attacked the congressman, saying Khanna refused to coordinate his visit with the Israeli government, including a proposal to arrange a meeting with former Israeli prisoners held by Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attack.
Media quoted officials as saying that "Khanna did not come to understand the situation, but came in search of a press address for media coverage."
Khanna responded via the "X" platform, asserting that the government is lying to cover up its soldiers who helped violent settlers, explaining that he had previously met with Israeli prisoners and condemned Hamas attacks, but that this did not justify attacking Americans.
In an interview with CBS News, Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Leiter, said Khanna's visit to the West Bank was a "political showdown," claiming it was aimed at distracting attention from internal crises related to his support for candidates facing legal charges, as well as preparing the ground for his possible candidacy for the 2028 U.S. presidential election.
Leiter criticized Khanna's refusal to cooperate with the government and his choice to coordinate with Breaking the Silence, an Israeli organization founded by former soldiers who oppose Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.
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