Mike Huckabee rejects Ro Khanna's Israel visit claims: 'Not held at gunpoint'

JERUSALEM, Israel: U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, connected Tuesday accused Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., of lying astir consulting the American Embassy regarding his sojourn to the Biblical heartland of Israel.

Khanna visited the West Bank past week erstwhile helium said his radical was aggressively detained by Israeli settlers. Critics slammed his circuit arsenic governmental showmanship to beforehand a imaginable statesmanlike campaign.

Huckabee took to X to cull the relationship of Khanna and his delegation, writing: "The left-wing activistic who acceptable up this stunt says ‘The embassy is involved.’ That is NOT TRUE. We did NOT cognize a subordinate of Congress was coming. We would person said don't spell to restricted zone. As FACTS travel out, it's not helping the desired narrative. Not ‘held astatine gunpoint."’ 

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US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks to Fox News Digital during an interrogation astatine the American embassy successful Jerusalem, Israel. (Yoav Dudkevitch/ TPS-IL)

Speaking to Fox News Digital connected Tuesday, the California lawmaker said that helium was detained by Israeli settlers for seventy-five minutes connected Wednesday portion visiting the West Bank (also known by its Biblical names Judea and Samaria). Khanna claimed, "We had informed the Israeli embassy."

When asked astir Ambassador Huckabee’s X station asserting the embassy did not cognize astir his visit, helium said "That is conscionable false. He was misinformed."

Khanna responded to Huckabee connected X, stating "Ambassador, we person ever had a narration of communal respect contempt governmental differences. The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has present clarified it was not a restricted portion and Israeli papers person confirmed this. Deputy Chief of Mission David Brownstein successful our embassy did a superb occupation successful getting america out. We are harmless due to the fact that of him. Please convey him. We evidently notified our Embassy and Israel's embassy astir the travel fixed we were successful changeless interaction with David."

Khanna said the "violent settlers who detained america request to beryllium prosecuted and the IDF officers who furthered that detention request to beryllium investigated. There were these extremist settlers who parked their car successful beforehand of our van denying america exit — determination was lone 1 roadworthy — they brandished an M4 weapon and kicked our tires."

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., speaks with a Palestinian nonmigratory of Turmus Ayya, adjacent Ramallah, during a sojourn successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 9, 2026. (REUTERS/Ammar Awad)

Eitan Fischberger, an Israeli Mideast analyst, posted footage connected X that helium said debunked Khanna’s claims that helium was violently detained. Fischberger wrote:" I promote everyone to ticker footage of Ro Khanna's supposedly convulsive ‘detainment,’ which was released by the crazed activists connected his ain team. What a glorious self-own."

Fox News Digital sent a follow-up property query to Khanna astir the video footage. He said the station by Fischberger is "false" and provided his X station with video footage. He wrote:" When the IDF arrived, they sided with the settlers & continued our detention. They made a immense mistake." https://x.com/rokhanna/status/2075934812334915801?s=46

Khanna told Fox News that, "I told the Israeli authorities that I wanted to spell connected a Palestinian-led travel to the West Bank due to the fact that I'd been [on] 3 trips to Israel. I had gotten Israel's perspective, and that this travel I was going to spell to the West Bank for a Palestinian-led look for 3 days. They knew that. And the constituent is that conscionable due to the fact that an American person wants to get the broadside of Palestinians that does not springiness Israel the close to person convulsive settlers detain Americans with a passport that gives Israel the close to person IDF detain us. It's not conscionable me."

Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told Fox News Digital Khanna’s sojourn "appeared to beryllium a publicity stunt successful beforehand of his expected tally for president successful 2028. Let’s beryllium honest, this was a publicity stunt."

The Mideast adept Diker added that "Khanna’s 72-hour sojourn to respective PLO- PA [Palestine Liberation Organization-Palestinian Authority] villages successful Judea and Samaria was carried retired without immoderate information oregon diplomatic coordination with Israel either of these is the embassy successful Washington oregon the U.S. Embassy successful Jerusalem, oregon information forces successful a peculiarly unsafe visit: his past of pro-Palestinian activism, and anti-Israel activism is good known."

Diker claimed that, "Khanna had publically endorsed a Palestinian authorities pursuing the Oct. 7 Iran-backed Palestinian Hamas massacre aligning with pro-Hamas, pro BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanction run against Israel] groups specified arsenic American Muslims for Palestine."

Hamas’ penetration of Israel connected 10/7 resulted successful the violent organization’s wide execution of implicit 1,200 people, including much than 40 Americans.

Khanna is besides nether occurrence from a chap Democrat.

U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) speaks with a Palestinian nonmigratory of Turmus Ayya, adjacent Ramallah, during a sojourn successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 9, 2026. (REUTERS/Ammar Awad)

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-NJ., wrote connected X that "What’s appalling is that Ro ignored requests to conscionable 10/7 survivors and hostages, oregon to sojourn sites of the 10/7 violent attacks. Instead, riding the anti-Zionist wave, helium utilized the travel arsenic a statesmanlike run cameo."

When Fox News Digital asked astir Gottheimer’s criticism, including not gathering with 10/7 survivors, helium said, "The intent of this travel was a Palestinian-led circuit done the West Bank."

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He noted that "I person been to Israel 3 times and met with hostage families."

In effect to Gottheimer’s accusation that helium utilized the sojourn arsenic a "presidential run cameo," Khanna said "I bash not cognize what helium was talking about."

Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, posted a lengthy effect connected X with respect to Khanna’s allegations that helium was detained and his reported defamations of the Jewish state.

Leiter wrote, "Congressman Khanna was offered to coordinate his sojourn with the State of Israel — this goes beyond notifying of his beingness successful the country. He was offered in-depth coordination of his docket to debar misunderstandings, and helium chose to disregard that offer. He besides chose not to coordinate his sojourn with the U.S. embassy successful Jerusalem."

Leiter added "To adhd insult to wounded - the Congressman utilized this lawsuit arsenic an accidental to tout ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid’ libels to the press, propelling himself to the halfway of yet different anti-Israel media frenzy. The facts don't prevarication — this was a cheap, anticipated provocation, that could, and should person been avoided….I’d beryllium blessed to big Congressman Khanna astatine our embassy for an in-depth speech connected his grievances regarding Israel."

Khanna told Fox News Digital that his bureau contacted Ambassador Leiter’s bureau aft helium offered to conscionable with the him. The congressman referred to his X station to Leiter. "…I americium blessed to instrumentality you up connected your connection to conscionable due to the fact that I privation to crook this incidental into thing constructive for mean radical successful Palestine," helium wrote.

When asked astir Leiter accusation that Khanna is defaming the Jewish state, Khanna said, "That’s what I judge happened and that’s what the U.N. believed happened."

A handout representation allegedly shows Israeli settlers blocking the convoy of U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA), his property squad says, successful Khirbet Zanuta, during a sojourn successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 8, 2026. (U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna's Press Team/Handout via REUTERS )

Khanna said: "I privation to beryllium wide that I unequivocally cull Hamas coercion and judge Israel has a close to exist. Hamas charter that calls for the demolition of Israel is appalling and wherefore they are a violent group." When pressed if Hamas’ penetration connected 10/7 was genocidal and if the Hamas Charter is simply a genocidal papers due to the fact that it calls for the extermination of Jews and Israel, Khanna said it is "violent antisemitism," and helium repeatedly termed Hamas a violent enactment but declined to telephone it a genocidal group.

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Khanna besides told Fox News Digital that helium believes the Islamic Republic of Iran, which finances Hamas, is simply a state-sponsor of terrorism.

An IDF spokesperson told Fox News Digital connected Tuesday that "The archetypal enquiry indicates that IDF soldiers were dispatched to the Khirbet Zanuta country successful the Judea Brigade pursuing reports that overseas nationals had entered an country that was believed to beryllium a closed subject zone. At the aforesaid time, an further study was received regarding a roadworthy being blocked by Israeli civilians."

The IDF spokesperson continued that "Upon arriving astatine the scene, the soldiers distanced the Israeli civilians distant from the country and waited for confirmation that determination was nary information interest regarding the overseas nationals contiguous astatine the location, and awaited confirmation that the country was not, successful fact, a closed subject zone. The convoy was past allowed to proceed connected its way. This process lasted respective minutes. It should beryllium emphasized that, passim the incident, determination was nary carnal confrontation oregon unit betwixt those involved, and nary specified allegations were reported."

According to the IDF spokesperson, "The equipped idiosyncratic contiguous astatine the country was an IDF worker who was connected leave. The substance is nether review, and the worker volition beryllium addressed accordingly. It should besides beryllium noted that the sojourn had not been coordinated with the IDF successful advance. We stress that anterior coordination of diplomatic visits is intended to forestall incidents of this nature. Such coordination is peculiarly important successful areas wherever determination is simply a hazard of security-related incidents. The required behaviour erstwhile interacting with diplomats volition beryllium further clarified and reinforced."

Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter (Getty Images)

The Press Service of Israel(TPS-IL) conducted an probe of the nationalist row. An Israeli information authoritative told TPS-IL that Khanna’s delegation did not coordinate its accomplishment successful advance. "They did not coordinate the visit," the authoritative said. "Usually, beforehand announcement is received." According to the official, visits by overseas lawmakers and different salient delegations to delicate areas of Judea and Samaria are mostly coordinated with Israeli authorities. Such coordination allows authorities to measure entree restrictions, information conditions and logistical arrangements. The authoritative said Israeli civilian information unit arrived and blocked the delegation earlier troops intervened. "Settlers arrived, blocked them, the service dispersed them and that was fundamentally the extremity of the incident," the authoritative said.

The root added that information forces sought to resoluteness the obstruction rapidly aft learning that the vehicles had been blocked.

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Diker sees the 2028 Presidential predetermination rhythm arsenic the magnet for attracting immoderate candidates to Israel with their alleged anti-Israel idiosyncratic agendas.

Diker said "The constituent present is that U.S. statesmanlike politics, connected the near flank of the Democratic party, present exploits what tin beryllium called Israel- cancellation, oregon the inversion of legitimacy betwixt Hamas – PLO and Israel arsenic portion of the unresolved Palestinian question arsenic a large nationalist contented for the American people, not the Islamic Republic of Iran and its planetary panic proxies, and it’s interruption of planetary lipid shipping, kidnapping the planetary economy, nor is the contented the ongoing Russia, Ukraine situation, the Chinese communist parties infiltration of exertion and different assets successful the West oregon the Islamic infiltration of America."