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 nan American Embassy regarding his sojourn to nan Biblical heartland of Israel.

Khanna visited nan West Bank past week erstwhile he said his group 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 nan relationship of Khanna and his delegation, writing: "The left-wing activistic who group up this stunt says ‘The embassy is involved.’ That is NOT TRUE. We did NOT cognize a personnel of Congress was coming. We would person said don't spell to restricted zone. As FACTS travel out, it's not helping nan desired narrative. Not ‘held astatine gunpoint."’ 

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

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

When asked astir Ambassador Huckabee’s X station asserting nan embassy did not cognize astir his visit, he 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 now clarified it was not a restricted area 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 safe because of him. Please convey him. We evidently notified our Embassy and Israel's embassy astir nan travel fixed we were successful changeless touch pinch David."

Khanna said nan "violent settlers who detained america request to beryllium prosecuted and nan 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 — location was only 1 roadworthy — they brandished an M4 weapon and kicked our tires."

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

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

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

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

Dan Diker, president of nan 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 master 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 aliases negotiated coordination pinch Israel either of these is nan embassy successful Washington aliases nan U.S. Embassy successful Jerusalem, aliases information forces successful a peculiarly vulnerable visit: his history of pro-Palestinian activism, and anti-Israel activism is good known."

Diker claimed that, "Khanna had publically endorsed a Palestinian authorities pursuing nan Oct. 7 Iran-backed Palestinian Hamas massacre aligning pinch 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 nan violent organization’s wide execution of complete 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 pinch a Palestinian resident of Turmus Ayya, adjacent Ramallah, during a sojourn successful nan 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 meet 10/7 survivors and hostages, aliases to sojourn sites of nan 10/7 violent attacks. Instead, riding nan anti-Zionist wave, he utilized nan travel arsenic a statesmanlike run cameo."

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

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

In consequence to Gottheimer’s accusation that he utilized nan sojourn arsenic a "presidential run cameo," Khanna said "I do not cognize what he was talking about."

Israel’s Ambassador to nan U.S., Yechiel Leiter, posted a lengthy consequence connected X pinch respect to Khanna’s allegations that he was detained and his reported defamations of nan Jewish state.

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

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

Khanna told Fox News Digital that his agency contacted Ambassador Leiter’s agency aft he offered to meet pinch nan him. The congressman referred to his X station to Leiter. "…I americium happy to return you up connected your connection to meet because I want to move this incident into thing constructive for mean group successful Palestine," he wrote.

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

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

Khanna said: "I want to beryllium clear that I unequivocally cull Hamas coercion and judge Israel has a correct to exist. Hamas charter that calls for nan demolition of Israel is appalling and why they are a violent group." When pressed if Hamas’ penetration connected 10/7 was genocidal and if nan Hamas Charter is simply a genocidal archive because it calls for nan extermination of Jews and Israel, Khanna said it is "violent antisemitism," and he many times termed Hamas a violent statement but declined to telephone it a genocidal group.

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Khanna besides told Fox News Digital that he believes nan 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 first enquiry indicates that IDF soldiers were dispatched to nan Khirbet Zanuta area successful nan Judea Brigade pursuing reports that overseas nationals had entered an area that was believed to beryllium a closed subject zone. At nan aforesaid time, an further study was received regarding a roadworthy being blocked by Israeli civilians."

The IDF spokesperson continued that "Upon arriving astatine nan scene, nan soldiers distanced nan Israeli civilians distant from nan area and waited for confirmation that location was nary information interest regarding nan overseas nationals coming astatine nan location, and awaited confirmation that nan area 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 nan incident, location was nary beingness confrontation aliases unit betwixt those involved, and nary specified allegations were reported."

According to nan IDF spokesperson, "The equipped individual coming astatine nan segment was an IDF worker who was connected leave. The matter is nether review, and nan worker will beryllium addressed accordingly. It should besides beryllium noted that nan sojourn had not been coordinated pinch nan IDF successful advance. We stress that anterior coordination of negotiated visits is intended to forestall incidents of this nature. Such coordination is peculiarly important successful areas wherever location is simply a consequence of security-related incidents. The required behaviour erstwhile interacting pinch diplomats will beryllium further clarified and reinforced."

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

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

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

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Diker sees nan 2028 Presidential predetermination cycle arsenic nan magnet for attracting immoderate candidates to Israel pinch their alleged anti-Israel individual agendas.

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