California Congressman Ro Khanna didn’t accept invitations to meet former Israeli hostages and survivors of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack during his recent visit to Israel, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Staff for Khanna, a Democrat, initially contacted the Israeli embassy on July 2 to declare that the trip was personal, stating he wouldn’t meet with any Israeli or Palestinian leaders.
On Monday, plans for his team to meet with attack survivors were reportedly canceled. Israeli officials followed up the next day but received no response from Khanna’s team.
One source commented, “Congressman Khanna didn’t come to grasp the situation. He seemed more interested in headlines. Israel made efforts to connect him with community members reflecting the situation’s complexity, but he opted for another route.”
The October attack resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths and the capture of around 250 individuals, many of whom were held hostage for an extended period.
Additionally, there were attempts to arrange meetings between Khanna and members of the Druze community as well as discussions regarding aid to Gaza, but again, he reportedly did not engage.
Khanna claimed on social media that he was detained by armed Israeli settlers on his West Bank tour, sharing videos and images from the incident. He alleged that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) blocked roads after the settlers departed, and that he could only proceed after contacting the U.S. embassy and Israeli police.
Khanna suggested that there would be more details coming soon, indicating some kind of tension in the situation.
Another source involved in his trip planning suggested Khanna was trying to leverage what they called an “anti-Israel wave” within his party, consistently rejecting support from Israeli officials for arranging his West Bank visit.
While Khanna has shown support for Israel in the past, he has shifted to a more critical stance recently and has faced connections to figures accused of anti-Semitism.
Streamer Hasan Piker announced plans to discuss the incident with Khanna soon, having made derogatory remarks about orthodox Jews and claimed Hamas was significantly better than Israel.
In an unrelated note, the California Democratic Party endorsed a controversial Senate candidate, Graham Platner, who recently withdrew following serious allegations against him.
Khanna’s team later informed Israeli officials that the trip, which started on Wednesday, was part of an “election campaign,” funded by campaign resources.
A spokesperson for Khanna stated the trip was reported ahead of time to House leadership and both U.S. and Israeli embassies, thus permitting the use of campaign funds. They acknowledged help from a U.S. embassy official, referring to the settler incident but did not clarify any other details, including the lack of meetings with hostages or survivors.
