Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Leiter has accused US Congressman Ro Khanna of using a recent detention incident in the West Bank as a political stunt.
The accusation comes after Khanna claimed that armed settlers and Israeli soldiers detained his convoy near the village of Zanuta on Wednesday.
Congressman's Account
Khanna, a Democrat from California, shared video evidence of the encounter and accused the Israeli military of lying about how it was handled.
"The IDF is lying," Khanna said during a television interview. He described the confrontation as unprecedented, alleging that armed individuals threatened the delegation.
"They had violent settlers detain American citizens, including an American government official.
You had these settlers brandishing M4 [rifles], kicking the tires of our van, laughing at us, mocking at us, videotaping us," Khanna stated.
He added that arriving soldiers openly sided with the settlers. "We were detained for about 20 minutes, fearful of our lives.
Then the IDF comes, four soldiers. They tell our translator that they're on the side of the settlers.
They further detain us and block us in."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu minimized the incident, referring to those involved as "juvenile delinquents" and maintaining that Israel is a "law-abiding" country.
Khanna responded by calling for an official investigation into the incident and the specific individuals involved.
"The prime minister needs to open an investigation on these violent settlers who are connected to Yinon Levi, who has destroyed Zanuta's village and is a known person who has killed Palestinians," Khanna demanded.
He insisted that security footage would confirm the involvement of military personnel in blocking American citizens.
"Security cameras can see that they were involved in the detention of American citizens. How dare they mistreat people with an American passport that way?"
Ambassador's Response
Ambassador Leiter alleged that the timing of the release of the incident was intended to divert attention from political difficulties.
"To have this incident on Wednesday and wait to release it on Saturday, maybe this had more something to do with his support of Graham Platner beforehand and the difficulties he had with that, and trying to shift the focus to something else," Leiter accused.
Leiter also criticized Khanna's choice to coordinate with local activist groups rather than official channels.
"It's kind of interesting that somebody wants to declare a presidential run by running off to Israel," he said.
Anonymous Israeli officials claimed Khanna rejected planned meetings and sought media attention instead.
"Congressman Khanna didn't come to understand the situation – he came looking for a headline," they stated.
Khanna dismissed these statements on social media, emphasizing his past meetings with hostages.
"The Israeli government is lying to cover up for 4 IDF soldiers who aided violent settlers," he posted.
Human rights director Nadav Weiman, who was present during the encounter, corroborated Khanna's description.
"Armed settlers were the first to arrive, and then, as has become the norm, Israeli soldiers joined them.
Together they detained the delegation for over an hour. The IDF is lying and not for the first time," Weiman wrote.
Congressional aide Cameron Kasky also documented the confrontation online, highlighting his personal motivations for focusing on regional human rights issues.
